MORE THAN 219 PEOPLE DETAINED

PARIS, NOVEMBER 14 /SRNA/ - French police detained 219 people during protests, and the situation is under control, the Interior Ministry said.

Incidents were reported in several cities, including Marseille, Grenoble and Lyon. Demonstrators set trash bins on fire and threw various objects at police, DPA reported.

Around 106,000 people took part in protests across the country, including 24,000 in Paris, with a total of 137 protest events held.

Organizers put the number of demonstrators at around 200,000.

Mass protests initially erupted at secondary schools, where students have been demanding more teaching staff, funding to renovate dilapidated school buildings and an end to inequalities in the education system for weeks.

In mid-October, the protests merged with demonstrations over the cost of living, including calls by the Yellow Vests movement.

The French trade union General Confederation of Labor /CGT/ has called for "another major day" of strikes and protests on November 17.

"As long as wages are not increased and our demands are not addressed, the mobilization will continue," CGT Secretary-General Sophie Binet said.