Macron Holds Emergency Meeting with Several Ministers to Discuss Student Protests in France - Sarmad

BFM TV reported that French President Emmanuel Macron will hold a meeting at the Élysée Palace on Tuesday evening with several ministers to discuss high school student protests.

Sources close to the president told BFM TV that the meeting will be attended by Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu, Interior Minister Laurent Nunez, and Education Minister Édouard Geffray.

The Ministry of Education stated that on Tuesday, 891 out of 3,700 high schools in France had suspended classes, either fully or partially, for various reasons.

The French Interior Ministry reported that police arrested more than 5,000 people during the past week, 85% of whom were minors, while 215 students, more than 700 security personnel, and about 100 education sector workers were injured.

The protests in France have entered their third week, having been sparked by demands related to teacher shortages, resource deficits, and poor study conditions, before spreading to hundreds of educational institutions and involving clashes and thousands of arrests.

Students have received support from unions that called on education sector workers to join them in the streets in Paris and about 30 other cities. Around 2,000 police and gendarme officers were deployed to secure the demonstration, which began peacefully in the capital, Paris, this afternoon.