About 400 schools and other educational institutions in France were expected to remain closed Friday after student protests over teacher shortages, overcrowded classrooms and deteriorating school buildings escalated into violence in several cities.
The protests, which began in the Paris region last month, have spread across the country and increasingly involved clashes with police, arson and vandalism.
French authorities said nearly 2,000 people had been detained since the unrest began, including more than 600 on Wednesday alone.
Education Minister Edouard Geffray said Thursday that slightly more than 400 schools and other educational establishments would remain closed Friday and offer distance learning.
"These are a little over 400 schools and other educational establishments that I know of that will be closed," Geffray said in an interview with France 2.
Geffray said 170 students and 65 education-sector employees had been injured since the protests began. He called for calm and said the government would hold talks with student representatives.
The Interior Ministry said 1,949 people were detained Thursday, while 305 police officers and gendarmes were reported injured. Authorities said most of those detained were suspected of violence, including attacks against police.
Justice Minister Gerald Darmanin said Friday that about 2,000 people had been arrested since the protests began, with roughly two-thirds placed in police custody.
"We have gone from high-school student demonstrations to a public-order disturbance," Darmanin said in an interview with RTL radio. "When people target buses and set schools on fire, it is no longer simply a protest issue."
Darmanin also questioned whether all those involved in the violence were students, describing an "active and violent minority" among the protesters.
The demonstrations have centered on complaints about teacher shortages, deteriorating school buildings and overcrowded classrooms. Many students have continued to protest peacefully, but violence has been reported in a number of cities.
In Marseille, in southern France, officials said teachers were inadvertently splashed with petrol at a school where protesters were involved in an incident. A fire engine was also set alight in the city.
At least two high schools were set on fire Thursday, while a car was torched in Strasbourg in eastern France.
In Toulouse, in the southwest, riot police clashed with youths. Rubbish bins were set ablaze, firecrackers were thrown and the entrance hall of a secondary school in Nantes was set on fire, according to local reports.
Police used tear gas against demonstrators in some locations, while attacks on buses and bus stops were also reported.
The protests also spread to universities Thursday, with blockades reported at about 30 campuses, according to the Union Etudiante student union.
Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu convened a crisis meeting Thursday as the unrest spread.
According to a source close to the prime minister, intelligence agencies told the meeting that hard-left politicians, including members of La France Insoumise, had helped initiate the protest movement.
LFI lawmaker Louis Boyard rejected the allegation in comments to French broadcasters.
The Interior Ministry said the violence had moved beyond the legitimate expression of grievances and described the unrest as resembling urban disorder.
The government faces pressure to address the students' complaints while restoring order around schools and other educational institutions. Geffray said authorities would engage with student representatives as officials sought to contain the unrest.
The demonstrations have also drawn attention beyond France. Students in Liege, Belgium, began protesting Thursday over education-related issues, and local media reported that schools in the city were expected to close Friday.
A municipal spokesperson did not immediately confirm the reported closures.
