More than 400 schools and other educational establishments have been closed across France after student protests over teacher shortages and deteriorating school buildings escalated into violence in several parts of the country.
French Education Minister Edouard Geffray said on Thursday night that “a little over 400 schools and other educational establishments” were expected to remain closed.
The protests, which began in the Paris region in September over education-related grievances, have spread nationwide and become increasingly violent, leaving dozens of people injured and leading to hundreds of arrests.
Student protesters set fires at two high schools on Thursday, while teachers at a third school in Marseille were inadvertently splashed with petrol.
Violence was also reported in other cities. A car was torched in Strasbourg, while riot police clashed with youths in Toulouse, according to Reuters.
Sources close to Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu said intelligence agencies told a crisis meeting on Thursday that politicians from the hard left, including members of La France Insoumise (LFI), had initiated the protest movement.
However, LFI lawmaker Louis Boyard rejected the allegation in comments to French broadcasters.
The unrest has intensified pressure on the French government to address longstanding concerns over teacher shortages and the condition of school facilities, while authorities work to contain the spread of violence linked to the protests.