In short:
Thousands of students, teachers and parents have taken to the streets across France on the biggest day of action against understaffed and dilapidated classrooms.
In Strasbourg, Lyon and Rennes, the demonstrations at times have turned violent.
What’s next?
The interior ministry says 256,000 people have taken part across the country, while union organisers put the figure at 450,000.
The interior ministry said 256,000 people protested nationwide, while union organisers put the figure at 450,000.
More than two weeks of class boycotts and school blockades, and policing that has led to more than 6,100 arrests, mostly of minors, have become a flashpoint in the early days of the presidential election campaign.
Classes were totally or partially suspended on Tuesday at 891 schools, according to the Education Ministry.
Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez defended policing methods used against high-schoolers, despite a growing list of gruesome injuries blamed on officers’ riot-control weapons.
The latest was a 15-year-old boy who lost a hand on Monday in an incident involving a police stun grenade.