Paris,Oct 7. (dpa/GNA) – There were further isolated blockades at French secondary schools and universities on Wednesday morning, including the elite Parisian institution Sciences Po, after Tuesday’s large-scale rallies.
As a precautionary measure, 528 schools remained fully or partially closed. Education unions have called for further demonstrations on Thursday.
The young people are demanding better facilities in schools, more teachers and better learning conditions.
Meanwhile, Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez announced on Wednesday that the use of stun grenades by police during the student protests would be suspended.
On Monday, in the northern city of Lens, a stun grenade fired by police into a group of students, severed the hand of a 15-year-old. This led to growing outrage over alleged police brutality.
President Emmanuel Macron had called for restraint in this context, during a crisis meeting on Tuesday evening, the interior minister told the broadcaster RTL.
Macron had urged people to “show empathy” and to explain that the police intervene in cases of serious violence.
The Ministry of the Interior says 266,000 people took part in protest marches in Paris and other major cities on Tuesday, while education unions put the figure at 450,000 participants.
The government’s concern is that the protests – fuelled by high fuel prices and the cost of living, could spread to other areas, giving rise to something akin to a second Yellow Vests protest, which raised tensions in France in 2019.
Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu is due to deliver a speech this evening on schools, high fuel prices, the agricultural crisis and the country’s precarious financial situation.
GNA