France braces for fresh student demonstrations as Macron calls for ‘respect’
Student protests over absent teachers, overcrowded classrooms and dilapidated buildings have gripped France for three weeks, with about 130 of the country's 3,700 high schools still closed Monday even as the Education Ministry says closures are easing while violence intensifies. Eight staff members were injured Monday alone, mostly around Paris, Bordeaux and Lyon.
President Macron called for 'respect' and 'restraint' while acknowledging the grievances deserve time and consultation, ahead of nationwide demonstrations planned by France Unbowed Tuesday and broader cost-of-living protests Saturday. More than 6,800 people, mostly minors, have been taken into custody since the movement began, and police face 24 internal investigations into brutality allegations.
The government has promised 3,000 substitute teachers for the 114 hardest-hit high schools, a move the national students' union dismissed as 'crumbs' while demanding a 10 billion euro funding increase. Separately, police arrested a 14-year-old near Marseille after a shooting wounded a school principal and teacher, in an incident authorities say is unrelated to the protests.
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