The Françoise de Tournefeuille high school, near Toulouse in southwestern France, was set on fire today amid ongoing demonstrations in France. Individuals reportedly entered the school and launched fireworks from inside using special mortars. Part of the building caught fire, despite firefighters' immediate response.
Regional Council Vice President Kamel Chibli denounced these "inadmissible acts" and urged everyone to "condemn them in the strongest terms," subsequently calling for "exceptional measures and sanctions commensurate with the gravity of the facts."
Law enforcement officers intervened, dispersing the group and making several arrests. Firefighters, who arrived on the scene to put out the blaze, were also targeted by fireworks and attempted theft of their equipment, according to the prefecture.
The student movement has overlapped with discontent over the disproportionately rising cost of living, with unions calling strikes coinciding with the weeks-long youth protests. This morning, there were also major disruptions to public transportation, and the Eiffel Tower was also closed to visitors.
Another tense weekend is expected in terms of public order in an increasingly divided country, as demonstrated by another disturbing incident that occurred today, November 5th, in front of the Denis Papin de La Courneuve high school, in a suburb north of Paris. An eighteen-year-old boy stabbed a high school student who was setting fire to dumpsters in front of the school, which was blocked by protests.
According to BFM TV, the victim suffered a chest wound, but not a serious one. The circumstances and motive behind the attack are still under investigation, authorities say. The eighteen-year-old, after stabbing the boy who was setting fire to the dumpsters, allegedly attempted to do the same to several other students before being apprehended by police.
(Unioneonline)