France Students Plan More Protests, UN 'Concerned' Over Violence

Students across France mostly returned to class on Friday after days of large protests. The protests began in late September, when students started blocking entrances to their high schools. Most of the students involved are between 15 and 18 years old. They are angry about missing teachers, packed schedules, and rundown school buildings that get too hot in warm weather.

Tens of thousands of students have marched in cities all over France. The demonstrations have been mostly peaceful, but some protesters have set fires and damaged bus shelters. In response, police have used tear gas, batons, and blast balls. Rights groups and students say the police have used too much force, and police have opened 18 internal investigations into how officers behaved.

One serious injury made headlines around the world. A 15-year-old lost a hand on Monday after police fired a stun grenade nearby. After that incident, the government decided to stop using that weapon. More than 6,800 people have been detained since the protests began, and 86 percent of them are minors, which means they are under 18.

The United Nations said it was watching the events 'with concern.' UN spokesperson Shabia Mantoo said officials were following 'incidents related to the student protests and high school blockades in France, some of which have turned violent.' The UN urged everyone involved to stay peaceful. A government source said the damage caused by the protests cost 'at least 30 million euros.'

The French government says the movement is slowing down. Officials said most injured students hurt themselves by accident, not because of police action. However, many students told reporters they are not giving up. Organizers have called for big new protests the following week.

Student leaders said the government's response so far is not enough. Student union representative Marius Mesnil said 'we're being offered a few crumbs,' and called for another round of protests on Tuesday. Alice, a high school student from the southern city of Marseille, said the education minister's announcements 'are a first step but they're not enough.'

The French government has started taking steps to address the students' concerns. Education Minister Edouard Geffray announced that about 3,000 substitute teachers would be sent to the 114 worst-affected high schools. Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu promised a full plan to address the crisis by the end of October. The government noted that education already has the second-largest budget increase this year, a boost of 1.4 percent to 90.9 billion euros.