French students light European bonfire, protests erupt in Belgium, Italy & Greece | Gravitas

Even as French PM Sebastien Lecornu promised to act on the demands of students, the protests continued to rage across France. Nearly 375 schools remained partially or fully closed. At least six thousand six hundred people have been arrested so far.

However, the unrest has now crossed France's borders. Take a look at these visuals. Hundreds of protesters took to the streets of the city of Liege in Belgium against rising education costs, overcrowded classrooms and limited access to study materials. Tensions escalated as fires burned in the streets. Police resorted to the use of water cannons to disperse protesters. Protesters drew inspiration from their counterparts in neighbouring France.

This is not all. According to reports, high-school students have also begun occupying schools in Italy's Turin and Rome. Their complaints include inadequate funding, deteriorating school buildings and rising cost of living. Greece is also witnessing mobilisation, with students calling for demonstrations and walkouts, seeking greater government investment in education. In Ireland as well, university students have demonstrated over tuition fees and the cost of accommodation.

Also Read: Musk doubles down on Starlink India licence allegations; Rahul Gandhi says ‘wait till...’

Now, students continued to blockade high schools using garbage bins across France. Riot police were seen confronting protesters and using a liquid spray. In the western city of Nantes, protesters and riot police faced off. The police pushed away the students from a makeshift barricade they had made across a road. Rennes too witnessed chaotic scenes. Firefighters scrambled to extinguish the fire, after garbage bins were set alight near a secondary school.

In a rather unique form of protest in Paris, students danced in front of police officers. Some protesters even sang 'everyone hates the police'.

Amid this, the French PM revealed that the government was collecting suggestions on how to improve the education system. He also promised that the 2027 budget would include an increase in funding for education. He also made it clear that the police were directed to act in a proportionate manner with the protesters.

Meanwhile, the far-left France Unbowed party threw its weight behind the protesters and accused the government of allocating fewer resources to the working class.