256,000 protesters in France during the 'Day of Anger'.. Trump: Islam wants to take control of the country

Paris - Afaq News - Several French cities witnessed widespread protests on Tuesday, with around 256,000 participants, according to police estimates, as part of a wave of protests led by school students demanding improvements in educational institutions. Some marches turned into confrontations with the police, resulting in arrests, injuries, and extensive material damage.

The protests, dubbed 'Day of Anger' by their organizers, began in Paris, Strasbourg, Nantes, Bordeaux, Lyon, Marseille, Rennes, and other cities, particularly involving students from popular areas and suburbs suffering from overcrowded schools, a shortage of teachers, and declining infrastructure.

Trump intervenes in the protests

Amid the protests, U.S. President Donald Trump intervened in the French scene, attacking immigration and related policies, asserting that the protests are not solely about educational demands.

Trump wrote on his platform 'Truth Social' that what is happening in France is the result of 'mass immigration that has gotten out of control', adding that the issue, as he described it, 'is not about schools, but about Islam that wants to take over a country that was once great.'

The statements of the American president came at a time when figures and activists from the American right intensified the circulation of video clips of the French protests, in an attempt to link the events of the riots to immigration and leftist policies in Europe.

Students' demands: Better schools and less crowded classrooms.

The student protest movement began on September 17, before expanding in the last week, with students in hundreds of schools closing entrances and organizing street protests.

The protesters are demanding the rehabilitation of schools, reducing the number of students in classrooms, and hiring more teachers, considering that the government is not adequately addressing the problems facing the education sector, especially in low-income areas.

Some of the protests witnessed acts of vandalism, roadblocks, and the burning of containers, in addition to clashes with security forces.

According to French authorities, at least 24 schools have been burned or looted since the protests began, while 85 education sector workers have been injured.

Hundreds of police officers and demonstrators have also been injured during the clashes, while the number of arrests since the beginning of the protests has exceeded 6,000 people, most of whom are minors. The French Ministry of Justice stated that about 1,800 detainees will be referred to the judiciary, including 1,483 minors.

Authorities estimated the damages caused by the violence and vandalism at tens of millions of euros.

Clashes in several cities

In Paris, about 56,000 people participated in the protests, while limited areas of the march witnessed clashes between groups of protesters and the police.

Other cities, including Strasbourg, Nantes, Bordeaux, Rennes, and Lyon, also recorded clashes during which the police used tear gas, while some protesters set fires and built barricades in the streets.

In contrast, protesters and parents criticized what they described as excessive use of force by the police, accusing security forces of resorting to arrests, gas, and means to disperse demonstrations against teenagers.

Participants in the protests demanded that the authorities listen to the students' demands, emphasizing that the violence that occurred in some areas should not overshadow the reasons that drove young people to take to the streets.

The French government attacks the radical left.

For his part, French Prime Minister Élisabeth Borne accused the radical left of exploiting the protests for political purposes, stating that the government would not allow the country to be turned into a state of 'chaos'.

Locourno stated that there is ambiguity in the far-left's position regarding acts of violence, considering that what is happening is part of a political project aimed, as he described, at "sowing chaos" in the country before the upcoming presidential elections.

At the same time, the Prime Minister confirmed that the government and school administrations are required to listen to students' complaints and work on finding solutions to them.

The French Ministry of Education launched an online platform that allows high school students to submit complaints and suggestions anonymously regarding the issues they face within their educational institutions.

Mutual accusations regarding violence

While the French government defended the police's performance, the Minister of the Interior confirmed that the security forces' intervention was proportional "in most cases," noting that some protests turned into riots that necessitated police intervention.

However, government critics accused security forces of using harsh dispersal methods. This came after several protesters, including teenagers, were injured during the clashes.

Authorities announced an investigation into the incident where a police officer fired a tear gas canister directly at a student, resulting in serious facial injuries.

Protests before the presidential elections

The wave of protests comes about seven months before the French presidential elections, amid increasing political and social polarization within the country.

The government is seeking to contain the protests and prevent them from turning into a broader movement, while political parties exchange accusations regarding responsibility for the rising tensions.

In contrast, right-wing forces are trying to exploit the disturbances to push for issues related to immigration and security, while left-wing forces believe that the essence of the protests is linked to education conditions and social circumstances in poor areas.

Thus, student protests in France have transcended the issue of schools, turning into a broader political battleground over immigration, security, the role of the state, and the future of the country ahead of the upcoming presidential election.