Protests in France escalate

In Toulouse, parents linked arms at the front of a march through the city.But in Strasbourg, Lyon and Rennes, the demonstrations at times turned violent, with police firing tear gas and protesters lighting fires in the streets and hurling projectiles."There is such a gap between the elites and us," said Hugo Vetzel, a recent high-school graduate in Strasbourg.The protests began in September in the deprived suburbs of Paris, before spreading….

Some local education authorities have tried to move classes online."We want more money for the national educational system so that high schools are renovated," said Roberta, another recent high-school graduate at a protest outside Paris' prestigious Henri IV school.Schools were facing a list of problems from water leaks to rat infestations, she added.The government has responded to the demonstrations with riot police.Rights groups, students and parent groups have accused authorities….

The government says the protest movement has been hijacked by outsiders and morphed into urban violence.France's interior ministry said 6,100 people have been arrested since the protests began, the overwhelming majority of them minors.

More than 1,800 people are being prosecuted, including 1,483 minors, the justice ministry said, without specifying the crimes.

Protests in France escalate Reuters | Updated 1 minute ago | Police fire teargas at protesters on biggest day of school demonstrations.