French students protest over pension reform

Thousands of high school pupils demonstrated in France on Thursday against President Nicolas Sarkozy's pension reform as strikes shut eight of France's 12 refineries.

A French high school student was undergoing surgery on Friday after being injured by a flash-ball shot by a police officer on Thursday. And in the northern city of Caen, a student's father said that his son had to have a five-hour operation after his head was hit by a tear gas grenade.

Students in the streets on Thursday:

• Rennes: between 5,000 and 8,000 students joined demonstrations.
• Saint-Brieuc: 4,500 students.
• Reims: 3,000 students.
• Brest: 2,000 students.
• Lens: 2,000 students.
• Orl√©ans: 1,700 students.
• Blois: 1,500 students.
• Montpellier: 1,500 students.
• Brive: 1,200 students.
• Touts, Dax, Nancy, Niort, Caen: 1,000 students.
• Bordeaux: between 4,000 and 5,000 workers and students.
• Toulouse: 20,000 demonstrators, including students.

Read more at Radio France International