About 400 French schools closed as some student protests turn violent

About 400 schools ​in France are expected to ​remain closed on Friday ‌after ​student protests that began over education-related grievances escalated into violence in some places. "There are a ‌little over 400 schools and other educational establishments that I know of that will be closed," French Education Minister Edouard Geffray said ‌in an interview with broadcaster France 2 late Thursday.

According to ‌close to Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu, intelligence agencies told a crisis meeting on Thursday that the protest movement had been initiated by politicians from ⁠the ​hard left, including members ⁠of La France Insoumise (LFI). LFI lawmaker Louis Boyard denied the claim in ⁠comments to French broadcasters.

The protests against teacher shortages and dilapidated school buildings erupted ​in the Paris region last month but have turned increasingly ⁠violent as they spread nationwide, with dozens injured and police making hundreds ⁠of ​arrests. Student protesters started fires in at least two high schools on Thursday, while teachers were inadvertently splashed with petrol at ⁠a third in the southern city of Marseille, officials said. At ⁠least one ⁠car was torched in Strasbourg in the east and riot police clashed with youths in Toulouse ‌in ‌the southwest.