A 15-year-old student in the French city of Lens lost his hand in an explosion, possibly caused by a stun grenade fired by police, during student protests over school conditions that are now in their second week.
In a separate incident, the family of a 16-year-old student in Tours filed a complaint over police violence after the student lost sight in his right eye last week after being hit by a police rubber bullet.
Protests over police violence are growing, with a nationwide demonstration set to take place today and 400 to 500 schools expected to remain closed.
Some of the demands focus on staff shortages in schools, the poor condition of facilities and the increasing number of students per class.
Meanwhile, French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu had earlier sought to ease tensions, describing the students’ concerns as “justified” and saying the government had a duty to listen to them. He also said he was awaiting proposals from the relevant ministers on the students’ demands.
Sophie Binet, head of the left-wing CGT trade union, said the government had been slow to address the students’ demands. She said the number of absent teachers who are not replaced has doubled over the past 10 years and that the number of students per class is at a record high.
“In such a climate of anger, a few token measures will not be enough to meet the demands,” Binet said. She called on the government to halt all budget cuts, including cuts to teaching positions.
Source: The Guardian
What is fyi.news?
