MORE THAN 600 PEOPLE DETAINED DURING HIGH SCHOOL PROTESTS

PARIS, SEPTEMBER 30 /SRNA – RIA Novosti/ – French police detained more than 600 people during protests at high schools across the country, Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said.

“Yesterday, throughout the day, we had 440 detentions. We are now at 625,” Nuñez said at a press conference in Paris. According to preliminary data, protests were held during the day at 356 institutions, compared with 338 the previous day. The interior minister said that 83 police officers were injured. Nuñez added that the protest movement is growing and becoming increasingly violent, particularly toward police and state institutions. Education Minister Édouard Geffray said at a press conference that, since September 25, a total of 119 students and employees at educational institutions had been injured. High school students in France have been protesting for seven days over overcrowded schedules, a shortage of teachers, poorly maintained school buildings, and other problems in the education sector. In numerous cases, the protests have been accompanied by unrest and arson.