France protests continue, 1,260 arrested in Paris

Protests demanding education reforms continue across France, with police arresting a record 1,260 people in Paris over the past month. Around 86% of those arrested were minors, French broadcaster BFMTV reported.

Education Minister Édouard Geffray said students were still protesting at around 200 high schools nationwide. Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu condemned the violence, saying the protests had evolved beyond student demonstrations into urban unrest.

The government is reviewing the university admission process through Parcoursup and may announce new measures by the end of October, Geffray said. He added that two-thirds of the 3,000 promised substitute teachers had already been recruited.

Paris police also reported that 286 police officers and gendarmes, along with 13 education staff members, had been injured during the unrest over the past month.

The protests began on September 17 in a Paris suburb over teacher shortages, long school hours and overcrowded classrooms before spreading to schools and universities across the country.

-AJM