High school pupils in France aren't warming to the planned labour reforms – rather the opposite.

 

In southern France's Montpellier on Thursday, pupils clashed with police officers and set fire to garbage bins. 

 

Riot police with tear gas were called in to disperse the mob.

 

Pupils were yelling: “You are here to protect us, not to attack us,” reported the BFM TV channel. 

 

There were stand-offs in Paris too, with protesters in the 11th arrondissement injuring two senior staff from the Voltaire high school. One of the attacks was deemed “violent” by the teacher in a complaint. 

 

Elsewhere in the capital, riot police blocked students near the Jaures Metro station in the 19th arrondissement, before clashes occurred.

 

Pupils pelted police with flour, bottles and chairs with riot cops responding with tear gas, in the kind of tit for tat street battles that have become common during the protests.

 

 

 

One young protester told The Local: “We want to march to Place de la Republique but the police have just come in and blocked us. There are riot police surrounding the students and plain clothes police all over the place.”

The Local's Oliver Gee said: “When protesters got through the police block there were some crazy scenes with a few chairs thrown and lots of pepper spray from the police.

“Tensions are high as the protesters marched towards République. There's a huge number of riot police who are flanking the march along Rue Lafayette.

“Protesters, some of whom are masked, are throwing bottles, sticks and basically anything they can find at the officers, who are quick to respond with tear spray. Dozens of kids have tears streaming down their faces.”

“This has been going on for a month and still no one is listening,” one pupil, who preferred not to be named, told The Local. 

There were reports that high school students had tried to storm the Gare de L'Est and Gare du Nord train stations, but were barred by a line of riot police.

A member of the Force Ouvrier union who was joining the protest told The Local the blame for the violence in recent protests lay with both the police and a minority of “leftist rioters”.

“There are some who just turn up to fight with the police. They have nothing to do with the protest and having probably know little about the planned reforms.

“Then there's the police who have been seen attacking the students and spraying them with tear gas. Both are to blame.”

Since the start of last month, France has seen demonstrations across the country aimed to keep up pressure against the reforms, which will make it easier for struggling companies to fire workers.

Socialist President Francois Hollande's government is desperate to push through the reforms, billed as a last-gasp attempt to boost the flailing economy before next year's presidential election.