Student protests across France have turned into widespread unrest, with fires, blockades and clashes reported at schools across the country.

Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu called an emergency meeting on October 1. He said the movement was tipping into urban violence.

The protests began about ten days earlier at a high school in Creteil, a Paris suburb. Students are angry over teacher shortages, crowded classes and poor school buildings.

More than 1,020 high schools were affected by strikes or protests. Education officials reported 222 blockades, or one in four high schools in the country.

Teachers’ unions said they share some of the students’ demands but warned the movement was slipping out of control. A teachers’ strike has been called for next week.

Police made 1,949 arrests on October 1 alone. Interior Minister Laurent Nunez deployed riot police and mobile gendarmes to restore order.

Fires were reported at several schools. The Nelson-Mandela school in Nantes had its entrance hall burned down. Education Minister Edouard Geffray said the movement had been taken over by violent groups.