French pupils defy Macron and barricade dozens of schools again as unions plan a nationwide strike on Thursday

Students' unions ignored President Emmanuel Macron's personal appeal to lift the lycée barricades, a wave of school closures that began in September and has grown into one of the most serious social upheavals of his time in office. Across Paris, Lille, Toulouse and Marseille, pupils were out before dawn hauling wheelie bins across school entrances; police moved to break up the blockades at several sites and made arrests outside some schools.

Students are calling for more substitute teachers and emergency repairs to school buildings, with a minister cautioning that prolonged absences from class are putting final-year exams in jeopardy.

University students' unions were due to extend the protests to campuses on Tuesday, broadening the movement beyond the secondary-school sector.

A nationwide strike on Thursday is set to bring together rail workers, teachers and private-sector employees in a solidarity action — a development that threatens to push the crisis into more dangerous territory.