Prosecutors have said that French police have detained 86 people following an operation to remove students staging a pro-Palestinian occupation at the Sorbonne University in Paris, AFP reports.

Those arrested in the police operation the previous night are being held for a variety of public order offences, said the statement.

They include wilful damage, rebellion, violence against a person holding public authority, intrusion into an education establishment and holding a meeting designed to disrupt order. Some are also being held for participation in a group with a view to preparing violence or damage to property.

They can be held for an initial 24 hours, which can then be extended another 24 hours.