Mass protests that swept France on October 6 escalated into fierce clashes with law enforcement. The unrest left hundreds of security personnel, schoolchildren, and school staff injured, infohub.kz reports.
In Paris, demonstrators blocked streets, building barricades from garbage containers. In Strasbourg, participants threw firecrackers at police, while in Rennes, officers were forced to use water cannons.
According to the Interior Ministry, about 256,000 people took to the streets, including 56,000 in Paris. Schoolchildren were joined by parents and representatives of education workers' unions.
French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu said that during the unrest, 715 police officers and gendarmes, 215 schoolchildren, and 85 school staff were injured. More than 5,000 people were detained, most of them schoolchildren.
French President Emmanuel Macron convened an emergency meeting to discuss the situation in the country.
Earlier, we reported that Donald Trump sharply commented on the events in France, linking the situation to mass migration and claiming that Islam allegedly seeks to take over the country.
Recall that in late September, France was gripped by protests by high school students — for a week now, schoolchildren have been blocking educational institutions. More than 600 people were reported detained.
The BBC Russian Service reported that 65 school staff, including 40 school principals, were injured during the unrest.
In addition, mass protests spread to Belgium — demonstrations took place in two cities in the country.