Students are demanding action on teacher shortages, overcrowded classrooms and deteriorating buildings. Teachers, parents and unions joined Tuesday’s marches, which drew about 450,000 people by organizers’ estimates. Authorities reported fires, property damage and attacks on staff and police.
President Donald Trump blamed the unrest on Islam and “out of control mass migration.” Amnesty International and parent groups have accused French authorities of using disproportionate force against minors, while the government says outsiders have hijacked the movement. France suspended police use of stun grenades at student demonstrations on Wednesday after a 15-year-old lost his hand in an explosion in Lens.