France protests: What we know as schools brace for nationwide action

Protests have continued across France for a third week as tens of thousands of school pupils and trade unionists have taken to the streets across many cities.Students initially began boycotting classes in deprived areas of Paris on September 21 over teacher shortages and poor conditions, but protests have quickly morphed into a nationwide movement, with some of the largest demonstrations taking place on Tuesday.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4Schools ablaze as student protests spread across Francelist 2 of 4France to shutter up to 500 schools as more student protests calledlist 3 of 4Teenager loses hand in blast amid French school protest clasheslist 4 of 4France’s student protests grow as hundreds of schools closeend of listSchool blockades have turned violent, with protesters accused of hurling items at police and officers allegedly responding forcefully using batons, tear gas and rubber bullets. In one case, a teenager lost his hand in a grenade explosion.The mass demonstrations, which also coincided with a public sector strike over government budget plans last week, have presented another challenge for President Emmanuel Macron’s cash-strapped government ahead of ...