国际英语新闻：Violence erupts as French students protest over pension reforms

PARIS, Oct. 18 (Xinhua) -- Several cars were torched and hundreds of young people were arrested in the French capital Paris and Lyon in the south, after chaos emerged during demonstrations of secondary school students, who joined the unions' strike against pension reforms.

The Education Ministry said 261 schools were blocked on Monday by the youth. According to the National Union of Secondary School Students (UNL), the figure later rose to 850, out of 4,302 French schools.

In Paris, thousands of students quit schools and took to streets to express their refusal of the pension reform, which they said is likely to hamper further job opportunities and increase unemployment rate among young people.

In the capital's northern suburbs of Nanterre, 15 students were arrested after setting fire to two cars and breaking several others.

Violent incidents also marked the demonstration in the southern city of Lyon, where 300 students participated in the protests. They smashed bus shelters, overturned cars, threw Molotov cocktails and set fire to dustbins, local radio channel Europe 1 reported.

Local media said 22 policemen were injured and 196 young students were arrested across the country.