Kids rampage over rumours of cuts in school holidays

Several hundred schoolchildren in France went on the rampage on Friday after false rumours spread that President Nicolas Sarkozy's government plans to cut the length of school holidays.

Reuters

Protests which had begun on Thursday in northern France spread to the outskirts of Paris where dozens of secondary school children rioted, upturning cars and and smashing their windows.

"We've made a blockade because President Sarkozy wants to take a month's
holiday away from us and that's why we've revolted," said a 15-year-old schoolgirl in Le Chenay, near the Chateau of Versailles, who asked not to be named.

She declared, however, that it was "disgusting that people's cars got smashed up."

"This is gratuitous, they don't know what they're doing," said an angry woman in her 50s on seeing her damaged car.

Several hundred schoolchildren also protested in northern French cities on Friday morning, according to local education officials.

Police said around 500 high-school students protested in Douai and another 500 in Lens.

A local education official, who asked not to be named, denounced what he called "orchestrated disinformation."

The official said the rumour was "spreading like wildfire" via SMS text message and Facebook.

Police were told to deal firmly with the protests which were described as "unstructured".

A steering committee on school holidays has indeed suggested cutting summer holidays by two weeks and increasing the autumn half-term holiday by a week, although no decision has yet been taken.

Education Minister Luc Chatel said in July that he wanted to hold talks with teachers' unions before announcing any measures later this year, which might then take effect as early as the end of summer holidays in 2013.