French student protests spread as 440 detained on Tuesday

French high school protests over crowded classrooms, staff shortages and deteriorating facilities spread nationwide this week, with 440 people detained on Tuesday, Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said. The protests coincided with a public-sector strike opposing the government’s budget plans, and some school blockades escalated into clashes with police. The Education Ministry said protests or disruptions affected about 400 high schools on Tuesday. By Wednesday, demonstrations had spread to 356 schools, according to a separate government figure reported by officials. The counts refer to different days and should not be read as a single cumulative total. Nuñez said the Tuesday detention tally was not final, and that about two-thirds of those detained were placed in police custody. He also reported 48 injured law enforcement officers and seven incidents in which hydrochloric acid was thrown at police. The movement began in the Paris area last week and expanded around the country. In several locations, protesters blocked school entrances, set fire to rubbish containers or threw projectiles, while police used batons and tear gas.