MOLOTOV COCKTAILS THROWN DURING PROTESTS

PARIS, OCTOBER 5 /SRNA - RIA Novosti/ - Participants in high school student protests in France have begun throwing Molotov cocktails, the Meurthe-et-Moselle prefecture said.

The statement said police had recorded incidents of property being set on fire, the use of pyrotechnics and the throwing of Molotov cocktails.

There have so far been no reports of injuries.

Education Minister Édouard Geffray said earlier that between 400 and 500 high schools across France were expected to remain closed during the day because of the protests.

The protests began in late September at a high school in a Paris suburb over a shortage of teachers before spreading further.

Around 5,000 people, mostly teenagers, have been arrested across the country since September 28, while dozens have been injured. Property damage is estimated at tens of millions of euros.