Young protester's hand severed amid violent protests in France over rising cost of living, official says

Students in France clash with riot police amid weekslong education protests

This is Chris Brown in Paris. While it's too soon to say how large today's protests are, they are different from previous demonstrations in at least one significant way. We are witnessing what analysts here call "convergence" — several protest movements coming together to support each other.

This current cycle of demonstrations was initiated by teenage high school students pushing for better conditions in their schools, but on the streets today, they are being joined by trade unionists, university students and members of the yellow vests.

The last group has largely been dormant since 2019 or so, after initiating protests of high fuel costs. But the gilets jaunes , as they are known here, have a major presence on the streets of Paris today. The goal of the protesters is to push the Macron government to make major spending concessions.

During Saturday's protests, the main tourism centre in the southeastern French town of Lyon, about 460 kilometres from Paris, was set on fire. Images show black smoke billowing out of the building, with flames engulfing its interior. Nationwide, more than 160 people have been arrested so far, authorities say.

Macron has faced a succession of protest movements during his decade in office, which have sapped his popularity and fuelled broad criticism of how his ministers use police against demonstrators. With the high schoolers, the outcry has grown particularly loud, partly because the vast majority of the thousands arrested in recent weeks are under 18 and because police riot control weapons are blamed for life-changing injuries suffered by some young teens.

The latest unrest is marking the final months for the president, who is slated to leave his post in May of next year.

From our vantage point overlooking Place de la République, the scene is utter chaos. A short time ago, we saw protesters light a car on fire. They also burned down a kiosk. When police tried to push hundreds of black-clad protesters back to let firefighters through, they were met with a hail of rocks and cans.

A 15-year-old boy lost a hand during student protests across France calling for better school conditions. More than 5,000 young people have been arrested during the unrest, and dozens of schools have been burned or ransacked, according to the education minister.

Since the movement began last month, hundreds of schools have been blockaded. While the majority of protests have been peaceful, some have been marred by vandalism and violence. Police have made more than 5,000 arrests so far.

More than 200 people have been injured since the student mobilization began, "whether in accidents … or due to injuries caused by troublemakers," said Education Minister Édouard Geffray.

Police have also severely injured some people, including a youth who was blinded in one eye after being hit by a projectile.