Protests that started in French schools have grown into a Europe-wide wave of unrest. Police in France have now arrested about 2,400 people from the latest round alone.
Lycée students began the demonstrations on 18 September in Créteil, near Paris. Parents, teachers’ unions and other groups soon joined in.
The protests peaked on 17 October. The Interior Ministry said the National Day of Action left 997 police and gendarmes injured. It put turnout at 550,000, while organisers claimed 800,000. By then the demonstrations also covered living costs. Trade unions and the Yellow Vest movement called the nationwide marches.
Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said police arrested about 2,400 people. He estimated looting and arson losses at tens of millions of euros. In Marseille, dozens of shops were looted.
Officials now blame outside agitators. They say adult far left and pro-Palestinian groups amplified the student walkouts. Reports indicated only one in three of the groups involved was a student or youth organisation. The government has not linked the violence to immigrants, according to an AP fact check.
The unrest has spread to other countries. Belgian police arrested 195 people as students marched in Brussels and Liège against education cuts. In Italy, about 60 people were detained in Milan, more than half of them minors.
Calm briefly returned in France. Officials reported a quiet Tuesday after localised curfews. Left-wing groups plan to march again on Saturday, and authorities have asked prefects to ban demonstrations likely to disturb public order. Police and the military are preparing a large response.
