‘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, with Nick Beake reporting from Lille

On Monday, a 15-year-old's hand was blown off, reportedly by a sting-ball grenade, following confrontation between students and police in the northern town of Lens.

The prefect of Pas-de-Calais, François-Xavier Lauch, said the student's life was "not in danger", but described the incident as "very serious".

Lauch told French media that riot police were deployed after students near Auguste Béhal high school threw stones, fireworks, and mortars at police.

The non-lethal weapon is used by riot police for crowd control management, and there are conflicting accounts on whether the boy picked up the grenade.

A regional prosecutor said an investigation would be carried out by the French police watchdog, the General Inspection of the National Police (IGPN).

This is not the first injury sustained in recent protests. Last week, a 14-year-old was reportedly struck in the head with a tear gas canister and suffered a jaw fracture.

The government says 215 students have been injured since the protests began with more than 500 schools closed and demonstrations expected to remain ongoing.

Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingNick BeakeEurope correspondent, reporting from Lille

Our correspondent in Lille, where bins were set on fire earlier

We’re in the city of Lille in northern France where pupils gathered from early this morning outside their schools to protest.

Many descended on Lycée Fénelon, where students here are holding banners calling for more investment in their education.

Bins were set on fire in the street before firefighters arrived to extinguish them. You can see police officers waiting in the wings but there’s no sign of further trouble, here at least.

But at a hospital in this city a 15-year-old boy is being treated after losing his hand during a protest yesterday in nearby Lens.

The authorities say he picked up a stun grenade which then exploded. Students have claimed he was hit directly after an officer fired.

Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharing Image source, ReutersImage caption, The student protests began in Paris, and continued there on Tuesday

Across France, student protests have broken out over a lack of teachers and staff, overcrowded classrooms and run-down buildings.

It started with high school students, but university students soon followed with demonstrations across the country shutting hundreds of schools and blockading dozens of university campuses.

Speaking to the BBC last week, one student who identified himself as Diego said "it's not normal" for there to be 40 students in a class for two hours. "We are angry," he said.

The Union Syndicale Lycéenne (USL), a secondary school students' union and one of the leading organisations behind the protests, says they are necessary because "other student actions, such as petitions or demonstrations, elicit no response from our political leaders".

Education Minister Édouard Geffray conceded at the start of protests last month that some of the students’ demands were "legitimate", but politicians across the spectrum have condemned the violence that has followed.

French Justice Minister Gérald Darmanin said last week that a "violent minority" were taking part in the protests and questioned whether they were even high school students.

Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharing Image source, ReutersImage caption, 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 Paris 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.

We'll be bringing you all of the latest developments on this right here.