US President Donald Trump on Wednesday reacted to growing student protests in France, claiming the demonstrations reflected “mass migration” and saying they were about “Islam wanting to take over” the country.“What’s happening in France is nothing less than out of control mass migration. This isn’t about schools, this is about Islam wanting to take over a once great Country!” Trump said in a post on Truth Social.

More than 266,000 people took part in nationwide demonstrations on Tuesday, including 56,000 in Paris, according to France’s interior ministry. The protests, which began at a high school in the Paris region in mid-September, have spread across the country as students demand more funding for education.Police fired tear gas and clashed with small groups of protesters in Paris after an otherwise largely peaceful march. Nearly 500 people were detained, the ministry said.Students have been blockading schools and boycotting classes for more than two weeks. Police have made more than 6,500 arrests since the protests began, most involving minors, according to officials.The use of tear gas, batons and other riot-control weapons against teenagers has drawn criticism from students, parents and teachers.

Some student groups have called for further protests on Thursday.French interior minister Laurent Nuñez defended the police response, saying it had been proportionate in “almost all cases” and that officers had intervened when protests turned violent.Is immigration the real reason behind protests in France?No.Student organisations maintain that their primary demands concern better-funded schools, adequate staffing and improved learning conditions.The protests have escalated into school blockades and clashes with riot police, with authorities deploying tear gas and other crowd-control measures in several cities. The police response has itself become a source of anger among students, parents and rights groups, particularly after a 15-year-old boy lost a hand in an explosion involving a police grenade during a protest.The unrest has also put pressure on President Emmanuel Macron's government, which is grappling with a budget deficit and demands to rein in public spending.

The protests have coincided with wider opposition to proposed government cost-cutting measures, including plans affecting public-sector workers.Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu has promised to examine teacher replacements, school hours and repairs to ageing buildings, with ministers expected to present proposals by the end of October. However, protesters want concrete improvements rather than assurances, arguing that education funding must be treated as a priority despite the country's financial constraints.