Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu promised a broader response by the end of October in a televised address Wednesday, but students continued blockades and marches Thursday. The movement began in poorer Paris suburbs and spread nationwide, with students demanding more teachers, smaller classes and repairs to deteriorating buildings. Hundreds of schools have closed.
Police have arrested 6,500 people over more than two weeks, most of them minors with no previous criminal record. Officials say 10 judicial investigations have been opened into police conduct. France suspended police use of stun grenades at student demonstrations Wednesday after a 15-year-old lost his hand in Lens. Amnesty International has accused authorities of disproportionate force against minors, while the government says outsiders have hijacked the movement.