‘We want to be heard, not teargassed’: Students joined by parents and unions in mass French protests

Students, parents, and trade unions are demonstrating across France, in protest at what they say is under-investment in high schools

In the past week, students have blockaded hundreds of schools with at least 215 injured, and more than 5,000 people arrested

On Monday, one student had his hand blown off after reportedly picking up a police stun grenade

The government says 715 police officers have also been injured since the protests started in Paris in late September

On Tuesday, teenage students stood on barricades outside schools from Lille in the north to Marseille in the south

In Paris, banners read: "We want to be heard, not teargassed" and: "Our future is not optional"

Edited by Rebecca Seales and Kieran Kelly

French high school students gather outside the Lycee Henri IV in Paris

France is bracing itself for another day of mass protest, as students demand more investment in their schools.

Students are already protesting outside schools across the country, while tens of thousands are expected to take to the streets today as powerful trade unions join the demonstrations.

The first protests were organised at the end of last month in the Paris region, with the cause taken up by the Union Syndicale Lycéenne (USL) – a union for secondary school students – which called for a national blockade.

Demonstrations have since spread rapidly across the country – from Lille, to Marseille, to Nantes – and hundreds of schools have been partially or totally closed.

On Tuesday, Reuters reported that students in Pairs had constructed barricades out of bins and held up banners reading: "We want to be heard, not teargassed" and "our future is not optional".

While many protests have been peaceful, others have spiralled into violence – with schools being set alight and more than 5,000 people arrested over the past week.

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