France school protests flare as tear gas is used outside a Paris lycee

Fresh protests by high school students in France disrupted hundreds of schools on Thursday, with police using tear gas outside a school in northeastern Paris as demonstrations showed few signs of easing. The protests, led largely by students under 18, began in late September over demands for more education funding.

The unrest has added to pressure on the government of outgoing President Emmanuel Macron, even as the number of school closures fell from Tuesday. The movement has also spread beyond France, with protests and clashes reported in Belgium.

At the Helene Boucher Lycee in Paris, a site of repeated clashes, dozens of students dragged rubbish bins into place early in the day to build fresh barricades. Riot police gathered in nearby streets as students converged on the school, with many wearing surgical masks or hoodies, apparently fearing they would be recognised.

At least a dozen demonstrations in support of the high school students' movement were planned across France later in the day. According to the Interior Ministry, police have made more than 6,600 arrests since late September. The Education Ministry said 375 schools were either fully or partially closed on Thursday.

The protests over the under-funding of schools have drawn attention to problems such as dilapidated facilities and staff shortages. They have also attracted troublemakers who are not concerned with the movement's aims, along with unions and political groups.

In a TV address, Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu lamented the "violence, students and staff being attacked, police officers and gendarmes injured, schools set on fire or vandalized, thousands of hours of classes lost, not to mention threats and insults." He also criticised "political leaders who use this anger to conduct their electoral battles." With France due to hold a presidential election in April, Lecornu said, "We cannot play with the safety of France's youth."

At the lycee, 18-year-old university student Emma Khelil returned to support those at the barricades at her former school. She told The Associated Press that she was deeply concerned about police violence. "We're here to defend our rights, not to lose an eye or a hand," Khelil said.

Khelil also said she had seen insulation problems and water leaks in the school building, and had even seen rats there on occasion. Other students said they had seen rats too. She said she was not convinced by Lecornu's attempt to calm the situation. "I don't think the movement is going to lose momentum. As long as things don't change, we're going to see the movement grow stronger, and potentially a convergence of struggles, especially with the next presidential election coming up," she said.

Not long after she spoke, police surrounded a nearby square. The crowd surged and tear gas was fired.

The impact of the protests has also been felt in Belgium. In Liege, Mayor Willy Demeyer banned public gatherings until midnight on October 16, citing what he called the "real, serious and imminent risk" of repeated clashes and vandalism in the coming days.

City police said they used water cannon and tear gas on Wednesday to hold back several hundred protesters. Authorities sent emergency mobile text messages warning shopkeepers to shut their premises because of rioting. Almost 90 people were arrested and several police officers were injured. Reinforcements were sent from Brussels and Antwerp, with more on the way. Smaller protests were also held in Mons and Charleroi.

In a post on social media, Belgium's Interior Minister Bernard Quintin said the "perpetrators will have to answer for their actions before the courts." The Belgian protests, organised through social media chat groups, include demands for more teachers and smaller classes, along with complaints about education reform in Belgium, and are also likely to have been inspired by events in France.

With schools shut, arrests mounting and protests spreading across borders, the student-led movement over education funding continues to challenge the French government, while clashes on the ground show the unrest is far from over.

With PTI Inputs

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