Frances student protests continue as pupils blockade schools with shopping carts

French high school student protests resumed on Monday on a much smaller scale than ​in past weeks as pupils returned from a two-week break, with ‌youngsters trying to blockade a few high schools in Paris, Marseille and Rennes, French media reported.By 8:30 GMT, some 41 high schools — about 1% of those nationwide — were blockaded, the ​Education Ministry said.Hundreds of France’s more than 3,000 high schools were ​blockaded in the weeks prior to the break.The protests, which ⁠began in the Paris suburbs in September, have spread across France and broadened ​beyond education to focus on the cost of living, drawing in trade unionists ​and activists and sometimes turning violent.A wave of so-called “Gen Z” protests has swept across European countries including Germany, Italy, Belgium and Albania, driven by grievances including the cost of living, the ​poor state of schools and perceived corruption.Last month, French protests degenerated into violent ​clashes with the police and outright riots in several cities, with shops looted, in a ‌test ⁠for President Emmanuel Macron’s minority government.“In terms of blockades—or rather, attempted blockades—the phenomenon is very marginal.

We’re talking about just a handful of units, a few individual schools,” Education Minister Edouard Geffray told radio station France Inter on Monday morning.He ​said protests are ​allowed but preventing ⁠access to schools is illegal.Police officers were present, TV footage showed, though not in full anti-riot gear.Students want the renovation ​of aging schools, more teachers, more university places and ​the end ⁠of a university admissions system they see as socially unfair.Geffray offered last week to cap class sizes at 28, dedicate €4 billion ($4.47 billion) to renovating schools, create 15,000 new ⁠places ​for students in higher education and a new ​admission system by 2028.High school student representatives said the offers were ...