🔴 Live: Thousands of students march across France as clashes reported in Lyon and Strasbourg

Thousands of students in France blockaded their high schools again on Tuesday, with adults joining to march in support of the weeks-long movement. Clashes between protesters and police were reported in Lyon and Strasbourg, and up to 40,000 people are expected to take to the streets of Paris. Follow our liveblog for the latest updates. Protesters voice their reasons for marching "We just want better conditions," Thomas, a 17-year-old high school student from the Val-de-Marne suburb outside of Paris, told AFP. "Sometimes we go to class and there aren't enough tables or chairs. Some days, if you're the last one to arrive at the canteen, you end up with just a piece of bread and some water. Our toilets have no doors, no toilet paper, no soap," he said. Pascal Cabaret, a history teacher at a high school in Toulouse, said pupils and staff have the same demands. "A teacher to lead the class, well-maintained buildings, better working conditions," he explained, adding that the movement is also a consequence of the successive heatwaves this summer. "High schools just aren't equipped to cope with those temperatures," the 49-year-old told AFP. "Instead of opening schools so they can hold general assemblies to tackle the issues at hand, schools are being closed and police are being pitted against students," Emmanuelle, a parent from Strasbourg, told AFP. "I can understand that some parents are afraid for their children because of the voilence. But I think that our role as parents is to stand by them, to help ease the tension," she said. Classes disrupted at nearly 900 schools across France Around 86,000 protesters attend marches in cities & towns outside of Paris France's Ministry of the Interior reported that 86,000 protesters are demonstrating in several towns and cities across the country, not including Paris. Protesters and police face off in Lyon and Strasbourg French human rights institution 'deeply concerned' about 'disproportionate use of force' in protests The Commission nationale consultative des droits de l'homme (CNCDH), France's official independent national human rights institution, expressed "deep concern" over the “disproportionate use of force” in response to the high school protests, and called on the government “to strengthen dialogue with young people” and to “guarantee the exercise of their rights”. “In its capacity as a national human rights institution”, the CNCDH said in a statement that “dealing with high school protests requires, above all, restraint, a willingness to listen and strict respect for fundamental freedoms”, and warned against “attempts to equate the entire movement with the unlawful acts of violence that may be committed on the fringes of demonstrations, and thereby justify heightened repression”. Crowds gather for rally in Nantes French high school and university students attend a demonstration in Nantes, northwest France as part of a nationwide day of protests and blockades. Paris mayor to open town halls for student gatherings Paris’s socialist mayor, Emmanuel Grégoire, said the capital's town halls will be opened to high school students to provide them with a space to mobilise, as he called on the government and the police prefecture to “prioritise de-escalation” during Tuesday’s protest. Town halls are expected to open their doors in the coming days so high school students can come “to gather, debate, and democratically organise” their movement, Grégoire wrote in an open letter to the students sent to AFP. “We cannot lament the lack of organisation among these young protestors while at the same time closing high schools and the venues where [their] general assemblies are held,” he wrote. Protestors had been met “with nothing but contempt, tear gas, high school closures, and mockery — if not outlandish accusations of manipulation", he added. Interior minister has 'every confidence' in security forces Laurent Nuñez, the Minister of the Interior, said he has "every confidence in the internal security forces to manage these various demonstrations", in a radio interview with France Inter, even as police and gendarmerie are accused of using excessive force to contain demonstrations. "I have instructed the prefects to ensure that law enforcement officers maintain a distance as long as the protests proceed peacefully (…) but, of course, they will intervene - and always with great firmness - if there is any vandalism," he added. High school union says record 1,800 lycées closed in 'dark day' for education High school union l'Union Syndicale Lycéenne says that 1,800 lycées have either been blockaded or officially closed by the Ministry of Education on Tuesday – a record high for this wave of student protets. Police are driving back protesters in east Paris preventing them from returning to the Lycée Hélène Boucher, FRANCE 24's Paul Millar reports. Students disrupt online learning with 'cyber blockade' Distance learning programs set up in closed high schools are also experiencing disruptions due to “cyber blockades,” videos of which are going viral on social media. Young activists have been sharing tips via social media detailing how to disrupt virtual lessons, while brick-and-mortar schools and closed. In one video, viewed hundreds of thousands of times, a high school student explains the concept of an “e-blockade” and why it will be effective. In another, a student says the besy way to disrupt e-learning taking place is to massively share the access link to virtual classrooms to overload them and prevent the classes from taking place. Others have suggested simply boycotting classes in solidarity with students who do not have the materials to access online courses, protest monitor Contre Attack reported. High school students protest outside Lycée Sophie Germain in the Marais neighbourhood of Paris. Demonstrators joining protests must do so “in a peaceful manner”, the prime minister's office said in a statement calling for Tuesday's rally to mark a “return to organised, legal and democratic protest”. Protecting students 'top priority', education minister says Education Minister Édouard Geffray said on Tuesday that the government's “top priority is to protect our students", adding that he was “currently addressing” the demands of the high school student protestors. The minister said it was a “tragedy” the fact that a 15-year-old boy had his hand torn off by a grenade in Lens on Monday. “From the very beginning, I have called for dialogue and urged people not to encourage blockades because, from the very first days, we saw extremely violent elements infiltrating the high school student movements,” the minister said. He added that it was "very healthy" for students to hold legal demonstrations. Ecologists call for parents, politicians to join 'white' protest France's Ecologist party has called on elected officials and parents to join the students’ afternoon protest “wearing white helmets, white armbands and white clothing, to protect our children during the demonstrations,” said leader Marine Tondelier. Student protests underway across France High school blocakes are underway across France with teenage students standing on barricades made of trash cans in front of schools from Lille to Marseille, Strasbourg and Nantes. • At least 589 schools throughout France have been disrupted, and more than 215 students have been injured as protests against underfunding and overcrowding continue. • A 15-year-old student protesting in the northern French town of Lens had his hand blown off after he picked up a police grenade.