Police ban protests near 10 schools and five universities in Paris

Police in Paris have issued a five-day ban on protests near 10 secondary schools and five universities as authorities try to control weeks of blockades and violence at educational venues in France.

The order prohibits unauthorised gatherings or marches within 100m of the sites from 16 to 20 November.

Paris police chief Patrice Faure said the ban was necessary due to "numerous disruptions and blockades around certain secondary schools and establishments of higher learning" and "persistent violence".

A wave of protests began in France September over poor secondary school conditions, before spreading to universities, workers and a "yellow-vest" movement against the cost of living.

Announcing the order, the Paris police chief said blockades around certain secondary schools and universities have led to damaged public property, violence against members of the educational community and clashes with law enforcement.

Mayors of eight Parisian districts had contacted the regional education authority to call for measures to "secure the entrances and exits" of blockaded secondary schools, local media report.

Some 1,548 people have been arrested in Paris since the start of the protests, Faure said on Sunday.

On Saturday, 106,000 people from a range of groups took to the streets in France, including 24,000 in Paris, the interior ministry said.

It marked the fifth Saturday in a row where students, unions and yellow-vest activists went out to protest.

The number of protesters was much lower than previously, and so was the number of those arrested, the ministry said - 219 across the country, including 45 in Paris.