France braces for more riots

of dozens of high school pupils kneeling with their hands behind their heads during mass round-ups sparked an outcry as France braces for more violence at “yellow vest” protests.

Leftwing politicians have expressed outrage at the videos, which have gone viral on social media, showing the teenagers kneeling as riot police barked orders at them.

“Whatever wrong was done, nothing justifies this filmed humiliation of minors,” Socialist leader Olivier Faure tweeted.

The students were detained on Thursday in the Paris suburb of Mantes-la-Jolie, in unrest that has spread to dozens of schools during three weeks of anti-government demonstrations.

Protests at about 280 schools against stricter university entrance requirements have added to a sense of general revolt in France as the “yellow vest” protests rumble on.

Dozens of people wearing face masks threw Molotov cocktails, torched rubbish bins and clashed with police outside schools in several cities.

The protests, named after the safety jackets worn by demonstrators, came to a head in Paris last weekend with the worst rioting the capital has seen in decades.

It began on November 17 in opposition to rising fuel taxes, but has since swollen into a movement against Emmanuel Macron and the biggest challenge of his presidency.

The protests came to a head in Paris last weekend with the worst rioting the capital has seen in decades