France school students blockade hundreds of schools in protests

More than 400 people, most of them children, were arrested in France on Tuesday during a wave of school protests across the country.

The country's interior minister Laurent Nuñez told broadcaster BFMTV that 440 people in total had been detained, while 48 law enforcement members had been injured.

Students are demonstrating over issues including overcrowded classes and teacher shortages. France's education ministry said 400 schools were impacted by protests or disruptions on Tuesday.

The movement at French lycées, equivalent to sixth form in the UK or high school in the US, began last week in the Île-de-France region around Paris.

The protests on Tuesday came the same day as professionals from public sectors - including teachers and firefighters - also demonstrated against planned budget cuts in France.

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