France braces for mass protests as unions join students

Tens of thousands of demonstrators are expected on the streets of Paris on Tuesday as France’s powerful trade unions join high school students rallying for better conditions in a wave of protests marked by clashes with police.

Students have blocked the entrances to hundreds of high schools for 15 to 17-year-olds since late September, complaining of missing teachers, overloaded timetables, dilapidated classrooms and buildings that cannot cope with rising temperatures.

While many protests have been peaceful, some students have lit dustbin fires, torched bus shelters or clashed with riot police, who have responded with batons, tear gas and riot-control rounds.

The government says 215 students and 715 police officers have been injured since the start of the movement, with a 15-year-old losing a hand on Monday when he picked up a sting-ball grenade fired by riot officers.

The unrest has erupted with just months to go before the 2027 election to choose a successor to centrist president Emmanuel Macron after his maximum two terms in office.

More protests are expected across the country on Tuesday after teaching was disrupted at 589 of the country’s 3,700 lycees and 32 universities, according to the education ministry and a student union.

Authorities are expecting some 20,000 to 40,000 demonstrators in Paris.

Police probed

Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu’s office has called for “peaceful” gatherings, calling for a return to “a structured, legal and democratic form of opposition”.

The head of the CGT labour union Sophie Binet has said its members would be there to “protect high-school students”.

Several unions have accused the police of using disproportionate force against the protesters.

The police has launched 10 internal investigations into allegations of brutality since they started, interior minister Laurent Nunez said late Monday.

The government has sought to address the grievances, while accusing hard-left activists of having hijacked the protest movement.

Since the start of the movement, 24 schools have been burned or ransacked, according to the education minister.

More than 5,000 people, 87% of them minors, have been arrested.

Lecornu’s office said 85 teaching staff have also been injured.

The prime minister has sought to address the issue of missing teachers and renovating buildings that are dilapidated.

The government is also pushing legislation to make those responsible for damaging public property pay for repairs themselves, instead of using public funds.

Lecornu has said the draft law could allow compensation payments to be recovered from family allowances and housing benefits while ensuring a minimum income.

Union leader Binet has said it would “end up targeting the most vulnerable families”.

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