French Interior Ministry: Around 250,000 People Participate in Student Protests

Paris, Oct 6 (KUNA) -- The French Ministry of the Interior announced on Tuesday that approximately 250,000 people participated in the ongoing student protests in France. The figure was stated in a ministry statement, but protest organizers disputed it, claiming the actual number was higher, nearing 450,000, as demonstrators confronted police officers in numerous French cities. Jean-Luc Mélenchon, leader of the La France Insoumise party, took part in the protests, describing them as “a new starting point for social mobilization against the authorities.” Mélenchon’s party faces direct accusations from the French government and right-wing parties of stoking the demonstrations. The student protests continued on Tuesday, with thousands of high school students once again closing their schools, while adults joined the marches in support of the two-week-old protest movement. A key demand of the movement centers on school conditions, as several school buildings are in a state of severe disrepair, and some facilities pose safety risks to students. (End) M.B. / S.A.M.