Macron's Government on Edge as Student Protests Spread Across France

French President Emmanuel Macron's government is said to be in a state of "the cold sweats" as student protests, which began nearly two weeks ago in the low-income Seine-Saint-Denis area of northern Paris, have spread across the country. The protests, which have seen hundreds of schools and universities blockaded, have resulted in the injury of 65 teaching staff.

This includes 40 school heads, and around 300 police and firefighters treated for injuries.

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According to Education Minister Édouard Geffray, most of the staff who were hurt said that the people they were facing were not their own pupils. The protests have been described as "egged on by far-left elements from students unions… and political groups such as… LFI." according to an internal report prepared for the Paris police department.

The cost of the damage is millions of euros, with smaller fires lit at school entrance gates across the country. The government has promised to remove €54bn (£46bn) from state spending in next year's budget. However, it remains to be seen if this will be enough to address the protesters' demands.

The protests have been described as a "flame-kindling strategy" aimed at imposing the ideas of the hard left ahead of the national elections. Marine Le Pen, the leader of the hard-right party, has been accused of manipulating the protests for her own gain.

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President Macron has called on students to avoid violence, but his opponents believe that he knows exactly what he is doing.

The government has promised to take action to address the protesters' demands, but it remains to be seen what this will entail. The protests are expected to continue in the coming days, with universities and other groups joining.