French students riot over false rumor

Hundreds of French students rioted after false rumors spread that President Nicolas Sarkozy's government wanted to eliminate several school holidays. The protests began in northern France Friday morning, with high school students damaging 10 cars by turning them on their sides or smashing windows, RTE News reported. "We can't make head or tail of it. We don't know how the rumor started," said an education official. The official said the rumor was spreading through text messaging and Facebook. Almost 500 high school students protested the cutting of school holidays in Douai and another 500 in Lens, police said. Students in Le Chesnay left classes and refused to return. A committee on school holidays suggested cutting summer breaks by two weeks and adding a week to the autumn break, but no decision has been reached.