France prepares for national day of school protests

Hundreds of schools are closed as France prepares for a nationwide day of demonstrations in support of students.

Thousands of high school age pupils across France have been taking part in protests in recent days.

The students say they are unhappy about poor conditions of school buildings, overcrowded classrooms and a shortage of teachers.

The protests started over a week ago in Paris and then spread around the country.

On Friday, French Justice Minister Gérald Darmanin said 735 of France's 3,700 schools had been affected "one way or another" by the protests.

The protests began in and around the capital city of Paris last week but have spread to other cities including Dijon, Lyon, Strasbourg, Lille and Marseille.

There have been clashes between police and the demonstrators, more than 5,000 people - most of them under the age of 18 - have been arrested.

The BBC's James Waterhouse told us that the students protesting across France want more money for the schools they go to.

They say their classroom equipment are old and need replacing and that there's a shortage of teachers,

He said the students he heard from on the outskirts of the capital city of Paris felt that their schools got less money compared to richer schools in the centre of the city.

USL, the union who represent school pupils at French lycées (similar to UK sixth-form schools), called for students to blockade - or block the path - to their school gates on Tuesday demanding better learning conditions.

There are reports of vandalism and protesters throwing fireworks and other objects at police from several cities in France.

But demonstrators in Seine-Saint-Denis, an area of Northern Paris, say they are not being treated fairly.

They say they police are using unreasonable tactics like spraying tear gas, a susbstance which causes a burning sensation in the eyes and sometimes difficulty breathing.

France's Education Minister Édouard Geffray said while some of the students' demands were legitimate what worried him was the violence.

Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu warned that any further escalation would be "irresponsible".

Blockades have now been reported at universities and action is expected to continue into next week with USL union calling for a day of large national protests on Tuesday, 6 October.