French bishop condemns youth riots but sympathizes with their concerns– www.lifesitenews.com

French Bishop Matthieu Rougé condemned the arson and street violence that have marked France’s high-school protests while insisting that the “profound” unease driving many of the students is real and must be heard.

The protests began in late September in the Paris suburbs over missing teachers, overcrowded classes, and rundown buildings before spreading nationwide. By early October, they had produced fires, clashes, tear gas, and thousands of arrests.

In its weekend interview with Rougé, Vatican News reported more than 5,000 arrests since the previous Monday and millions of euros in damage, with a further massive day of protests already called for on Tuesday, October 6.

Reporting a day earlier, AgenSIR, an Italian Catholic news agency, cited more than 300 injured police officers and nearly 2,000 arrests, and noted Education Minister Édouard Geffray’s statement that 40 of 65 injured public-school employees were principals.

Earlier today, as blockades and marches continued, Reuters reported police firing tear gas in Strasbourg, Lyon, and Rennes, Interior Ministry figures of 6,100 arrests since the protests began (overwhelmingly minors), and at least 715 officers and 215 teenagers injured.