Mariam is a student at Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne University and has joined thousands of other students to "protest for our education".

"We just want to study, we just want a future," she tells the BBC, accusing the French government of failing to talk to her generation.

She says she's "not OK" with the violence that has erupted, but is "very proud of my generation" for standing up to protect their future.

"We just want everybody to study... We want all the students to have the same rights because there is a lot of inequality," she says.

In Paris, it says, "several unsanctioned protest groups are attempting to converge on seats of power. Law enforcement is intervening systematically to block these movements and secure institutional sites".

The ministry also lists the following hotspots:

In Marseille, intruders entered the city hall and businesses were vandalised

In Lyon, the tourist office was set on fire and shops were damaged

In Avignon, individuals entered the courtyard of the Vaucluse prefecture

In Grenoble, the city hall was damaged

In Pau, Montpellier, Toulouse and Valence, businesses were vandalised.

The French interior ministry says there has been an "escalation in violence" and confirms 272 arrests nationwide.

In an update, it says there are 20,000 demonstrators in Lyon, similar numbers in Nantes and 10,000 in Rennes.

The ministry says "black bloc" groups have formed within the marches, "centered around far-left elements".

It adds: "law enforcement officers have been targeted, businesses have been looted or subjected to attempted looting, and public buildings have been attacked and damaged".

"Security forces remain heavily deployed to contain violent groups, protect public buildings, and prevent looting," it says.

(Source: BBC)