More than 700 students were temporarily arrested on Thursday during nationwide protests in France. The demonstrations had disturbed the operation in almost 280 schools, 45 of which had been completely blocked, said the Interior Ministry in Paris. This is reported by the news agency AFP and the newspaper "Le Monde".
Thousands of high school students and middle school students took part in the student protests against tougher selection criteria for university entrance and feared cuts in teaching staff. In many places, there was violence: in cities such as Marseille and Bordeaux, demonstrators set fire to garbage cans and cars and clashed with the police. Education Minister Jean-Michel Blanquer sharply criticized the riots.
The student protests have been going on since the beginning of the week. As with the "yellow west" demonstrations, there are always calls for a resignation of President Emmanuel Macron. (Read a detailed analysis of the protests here.) Meanwhile, many students have joined activists' demands, including lower living costs.