EEToday News, 6th: The wave of protests sparked by French high school students is intensifying, with not only teachers and university students joining in, but also unions calling for nationwide participation in demonstrations on Tuesday. French media estimate that 40,000 people will take part in the protest in Paris on Tuesday.  

   The protests have gradually turned violent in recent days, with demonstrators blocking campuses, setting fire to trash bins and other objects, and clashing with riot police. In Lens, northern France, on Monday (5th), a 15-year-old boy lost a hand during a protest, reportedly after picking up a police flash grenade that exploded. Other reports indicate that over a thousand people have been injured in the protests so far.

   The high school student protests began at the end of September in Paris and have since spread to cities such as Nantes and Marseille. Students are dissatisfied with the government's cuts to education spending, which they say have led to deteriorating learning conditions, teacher shortages, overcrowded classrooms, and dilapidated, unsanitary school buildings.

   Although Prime Minister Le Cornu has announced measures to improve learning conditions, unions have criticized them as "all talk and no action," failing to quell public anger.(yc)