School students have begun blocking schools as a nationwide day of protest gets under way

Mass protests by high school and university students demanding greater investment in French schools are under way, with a coalition of some of the largest unions joining them.

Adults, including parents and union activists, are gathered wearing white armbands to support the teenagers with the "aim of creating a buffer zone", local media reports.

Students have been blockading hundreds of schools with 215 young people and 715 police officer hurt over the last week and more than 6,000 people arrested.

Outrage escalated after a student had his hand blown off during a confrontation on Monday. Earlier on during the wave of protest another student was struck in the head by a tear gas canister.

The incident happened in the northern city of Lens after mixed reports he either picked up a stun grenade fired by riot police or had it fired near him.

Minister of National Education Édouard Geffray told France Info on Tuesday: "I want to express my thoughts for this young man. Our absolute priority is to protect our students. This is obviously a tragedy".

However, Geffray added there was "extreme violence within these movements".

"From the beginning, I have called for dialogue, not for encouraging blockades. From the very first days, ultraviolent elements infiltrated the high school student movements... and behaving inexcusably."

Vice President of the student union organisation Les Lycéens Louis Letoublon responded on France Info, saying Geffray "has listened, he must now take action".

A coalition of national unions, including France's largest the French Democratic Confederation of Labour (CFDT), have called for students to take to the streets in Paris, Lyon, Marseille and about 30 other cities.

France's prime minister said on Monday the government had announced measures to address student demands, but the Union Syndicale Lycéenne (USL), a major organiser of the protests, said the government had offered "nothing concrete".

Some other organisations have also shown their support for the students, with the teachers' union SNES-FSU urging its members to join Tuesday's protest.

The radical-left La France Insoumise (LFI) party leader Jean-Luc Mélenchon described the protests as the "most powerful high school and university student youth movement" since 1968 - a year of major unrest, which saw millions of workers go on strike.

The wave of demonstrations began in September in Paris and has spread across the country, with students protesting over a range of issues, including overcrowded classrooms, run-down buildings, and a lack of teachers.

The protests were started by high school students, who were later joined by university students.

Masked protesters took to the streets near Lycée Berthelot in Aubervilliers

On Sunday, French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu announced a series of measures to "address the difficulties faced by secondary school students and education staff", promising "visible changes" in schools.

However, he also said: "We will make no concessions to violence. We stand by students and staff who have been assaulted, as well as police officers and gendarmes who have been injured."

Last week, Eden, 14, was badly hurt in Saint-Ouen-l'Aumône after reportedly being struck on the head by a tear gas grenade.

The student suffered "a double jaw fracture" and had to undergo "extremely major surgery", according to his lawyer.

Speaking at a news conference on Monday, Eden's mother said her heart was "shattered".

"It's shameful, it's appalling, it's violent, it's horrific," French media outlet BFMTV reported her as saying.

"This should not happen. They are dealing with children who are asking for better conditions in which to study."

Protesters have set road materials on fire as barricades

While France's next presidential election is still months away, the protests and the response by French authorities have been heavily politicised.

The government and hard-right politicians have blamed the hard left for fuelling the protests. Lecornu said LFI was being "irresponsible" in calling for the movement to expand.

The leader of the hard-right National Rally, Marine Le Pen, has also criticised the left for its response.

"This is no longer about high school student protests. It is about riots organised by professionals and overseen by deputies from La France Insoumise," she said, calling for a new anti-rioting law to be passed.

Meanwhile Mélenchon, the LFI's party's presidential candidate, has been blaming the police for "abuses of power", calling on people to take to the streets to "protect the youth demonstrations".

The left-wing mayor of Marseille, Benoît Payan, condemned the "unacceptable violence" in his city. While young people were "legitimately concerned" about their future and public services, they must express themselves calmly, he said. (BBC)

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