France Student Protests Expand as Louvre Is Blocked

France’s student protests widened into demonstrations over living costs and public services over the weekend, with violence reported in several cities. On Monday, students continued the movement by blocking the entrance to Paris’s Louvre Museum, delaying visitors as they distributed leaflets and called attention to school conditions. Students have cited overcrowded classrooms, deteriorating buildings and teacher shortages since demonstrations began in late September. Their complaints include leaking ceilings, faulty heating and cooling, and missed lessons when absent teachers are not replaced. The movement began with school boycotts and blockades in Paris suburbs before spreading to cities across France. The weekend demonstrations drew hundreds of thousands of people, though estimates of the nationwide turnout differed. France’s Interior Ministry put participation at roughly 550,000, while organizers estimated closer to 800,000. A separate account estimated 800,000 marchers in Paris, a different geographic scope. The available figures do not establish an independently verified total. Most demonstrations were described as peaceful, but clashes, looting, fires and damage to...