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More than 600 people were arrested in France and dozens of police and gendarmes were injured as protests escalated, which included the closure of high schools and violent clashes, according to Interior Minister Laurent Nunez on Wednesday.
Student protests began last week in the suburbs of Paris to protest overcrowded classrooms, long teaching cycles, teacher absenteeism, as well as rising temperatures in classrooms during heat waves this year.
Nunez reported the arrest of 625 people on Wednesday for the closure of high schools, noting the "widening scope of the movement" and condemning the "escalation of violence" in front of some educational institutions.
He pointed out that 83 police and gendarmes were injured during protests that affected 356 educational institutions.
Nunez criticized the "targeting of security forces, throwing projectiles, acts of violence, verbal abuse, attempts to set fire, and what amounts to urban violence".
119 students and staff in educational institutions have been injured since the start of the protests last week, according to Education Minister Edouard Geffray.
Among the cities most affected by the movements on Wednesday were Paris, Bordeaux (southwest), Lyon (southeast), and Lille (north), where police used tear gas during clashes with protesters.
Geffray said, "It is essential that our students return to the classroom, especially those who are currently prevented from doing so."
From Madrid, President Emmanuel Macron accused radical left politicians of "legitimizing the violence" seen in the student protests.
In contrast, student Juan from Montbello High School in Lille said, "We do not support acts of vandalism. We went out to defend our rights because our schedules are exhausting. We study from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., and this is not normal."
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