France student protests: 5,000 detained since Monday

More than 5,000 people have been detained in France since Monday amid widespread school and student protests, Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez announced on Friday. Nuñez told French television channel TF1 that 1,747 people were detained on Friday and 1,954 on Thursday. Approximately 85% of those detained are minors, and protests affected 735 schools on Friday, a 30% decrease from Thursday, with disturbances at 158 schools. The protests began on September 25 in the Paris suburbs and have spread nationwide, with students demanding better schedules, smaller classes, and more teachers. University students joined on October 1, blocking access to about 30 campuses. The minister blamed social media and the far-left party La France Insoumise for the unrest.