Paris Police Fire Tear Gas at Barricaded School as 375 French Schools Close
Updated
Updated · abcnews.com · Oct 8
Paris Police Fire Tear Gas at Barricaded School as 375 French Schools Close
3 articles · Updated · abcnews.com · Oct 8
Summary
Dozens of students erected fresh barricades outside Helene Boucher Lycee in northeastern Paris on Thursday before police moved in with tear gas, underscoring that the school funding protests are still intensifying.
375 schools were fully or partly closed nationwide, the Education Ministry said, as students demanded more funding over dilapidated buildings, staff shortages and overcrowded conditions.
More than 6,600 arrests have been made since late September, and at least a dozen demonstrations backing the student movement were planned across France later Thursday.
Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu condemned violence and accused political leaders of exploiting the unrest, with pressure building on the outgoing Macron government ahead of April's presidential election.
Belgium has begun feeling the spillover: Liege banned public gatherings until Oct. 16 after nearly 90 arrests, while smaller education-linked protests spread to other cities.
With thousands arrested and schools barricaded, will France's escalating student protests ignite a massive nationwide crisis ahead of the presidential election?
How will the French government fund desperately needed school repairs without triggering further unrest over the already soaring cost of living?