Hundreds are arrested across France as student protests over crumbling schools merge with cost of living riots

Tear gas was deployed against crowds in Paris on Saturday as buildings were set on fire amid widespread disorder. The violence extended to Marseille, Rennes, Toulouse and Angers. The unrest began in September at a high school in Creteil, south-east of Paris, when students demonstrated over a lack of staff. In the months since, hundreds of schools have closed, whether from physical damage or attacks on teachers.

Students cite rats, collapsed ceilings and gruelling 8am-to-6pm school days.

A communist network whose reported funding source is Neville Roy Singham has been stoking the unrest.