Riot police charge pupils

MOUNTED riot police charged hundreds of Dutch pupils demonstrating over plans to increase school hours yesterday.

The clash, in Amsterdam’s central Museum Square, came after police were pelted with rocks, bottles and apples.

Police also turned a water cannon on the youngsters. Two officers suffered minor injuries and 15 people were arrested.

Pupils overturned a small car, then set fire to petrol leaking from it. Others knocked over bicycles or hurled them at police, and exploded large firecrackers.

Demonstrators spread the word to join protests via email text messages.

The unrest was in response to an extra 26 hours in the classroom annually, which the Education Ministry said was needed to raise standards and help pupils “master lessons”.

Pupils claim the schools were merely forcing them to spend more time in “study halls” to do homework, but no teaching took place.