Over 5,000 arrests during student protests in France

According to government figures, more than 5,000 people have been arrested in France since Monday in nationwide student protests. Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said on TF1 that there were 1,747 arrests on Friday and 1,954 on Thursday.

Around 85 percent of those arrested are minors, most of them students. However, this does not necessarily mean that they also attended the schools near which they were arrested.

On Friday, protests took place at 735 schools

According to Nuñez, a total of 735 schools were affected by the protests on Friday, 30 percent fewer than the previous day. "There were riots near 158 facilities: projectiles fired, attacks on law enforcement officers, teachers, journalists, passers-by."

The minister described the scale of the protests as significant and surprising and attributed it, among other things, to social networks and the influence of the left-wing party LFI: The political mobilization gave the movement a certain scale, but the violence was completely lost on those responsible.

The students demand better equipment in schools and more teachers and criticize the pollution of the buildings and overcrowded classes. Student representatives distanced themselves from the violence but called for the protests to continue. However, there was also criticism of the security forces. Although the government emphasizes that they are acting with restraint, others accuse them of excessive force.