Reuters. Student protests spread in the Paris region on Thursday (October 1), with police using tear gas in the suburb of Saint-Germain-en-Laye to disperse protesters.
In the northern suburb of Aubervilliers, students burnt outdoor bins and gathered to block the entrance of their high schools.
The demonstrations and blockades, which began last week, have become a political flashpoint at a sensitive moment for the government, which announced a series of deeply unpopular spending cuts in its 2027 budget on Thursday.
Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu's office held a crisis meeting on Thursday afternoon on the protests, which have left dozens of people injured.
Hundreds have also been arrested, most of them teenagers, officials have said.
Students have accused the police of using heavy-handed tactics including the use of teargas.
The government has criticised the violence that has broken out during some of the protests but has said difficulties in high schools should be acknowledged and addressed.
Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said that, in some places, troublemakers were moving from school to school to incite violence.
Education Minister Edouard Geffray called for schools to hold classes remotely if protesters were blocking their premises.
