The high schoolers' revolt in France: burning bins, tear gas and hundreds arrested

A protest by French high school students over a shortage of teachers has escalated into violent clashes with police. 440 people, most of them minors, have been arrested. The government accuses the far-left of political exploitation; Mélenchon responds with accusations of racist repression. The mayor of Saint-Denis said violence "can be legitimate."

A protest by French high school students, which began over a severe shortage of teachers and resources, has escalated into widespread violent clashes with police. 440 people, most of them minors, were arrested on Tuesday across the country. The protest erupted last week at a high school in Créteil in the Paris suburbs and spread to other cities, including Lille, Rennes, Nantes, Marseille, Bordeaux, and Lyon. Students are also protesting overcrowded classrooms, overloaded timetables, and unbearable heat during heatwaves. According to the Ministry of Education, 416 schools have been affected by the protest. In Lille, masked students set fire to trash cans and threw bottles at police, who responded with tear gas. Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez reported 48 injured police officers and seven cases of hydrochloric acid being thrown. The government, led by Sébastien Lecornu, accuses the far-left party "France Unbowed" (LFI) of politically exploiting the protest. LFI leader Jean-Luc Mélenchon accused the government of repression with a "racist aftertaste." The mayor of Saint-Denis, Bally Bagayoko of LFI, said violence "can be legitimate." The USL student union called for continued blockades.