Riot police employed water cannons and tear gas in Paris and other French cities on Tuesday to disperse crowds of more than a quarter of a million people protesting inadequate school resources. According to government figures, the nationwide demonstrations have intensified pressure on the administration of outgoing President Emmanuel Macron as his presidential term nears its end.
The unrest, which originated from a high school blockade in the Paris region in mid-September, has evolved into a broad-based movement. Large gatherings featuring flags and placards were reported in Marseille, Strasbourg, and Lille, highlighting the growing momentum behind the students’ demands for increased education funding.
“We need to listen to them,” said Léa Monimart, a protester in Lille. “They are 17 years old; they are not completely clueless, and they know what they are talking about. It’s important to show that there are adults who support them.”
The Interior Ministry estimated that 256,000 individuals participated in the demonstrations, with 56,000 in Paris alone. While the march through the capital remained largely peaceful, small groups clashed with riot officers at a city square. The extensive use of arrests and crowd-control weapons against teenagers has fueled further defiance and angered some parents and educators.
Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez defended the police response as proportionate in nearly all instances, stating that the protests had occasionally escalated into riots. Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu emphasized that the government and school leaders must address student concerns. When questioned in parliament, Lecornu condemned the “ultra violence” threatening schools and pledged to investigate any incidents, dismissing allegations of police racism as false.
More than two weeks of class boycotts and school blockades have resulted in over 6,100 arrests, predominantly involving minors. This policing strategy has become a focal point in the early stages of the presidential election campaign.
Felix Barney, a university student, criticized the police reaction as disproportionate. “It doesn’t make any sense to hit minors,” he said. Aurélien Le Coq, a lawmaker from the far-left France Unbowed party, whose presidential candidate supports the protests, described the use of riot police, batons, rubber bullets, and tear gas as “absolutely unbearable.”
Nuñez maintained that police tactics were justified despite a rising number of severe injuries linked to riot-control equipment. On Monday, a 15-year-old boy lost a hand following an incident involving a police stun grenade. Nuñez also reported that 715 officers had been injured during the demonstrations.
The protests have resonated with broader French discontent, extending beyond immediate issues like soaring fuel prices caused by the Iran war to wider concerns about public spending constraints, rising poverty, and wealth inequality under Macron, who is barred from running for a third consecutive term.
Student complaints regarding education funding shortfalls have found sympathy among the public. A placard outside a Paris school read: “You say ‘young people are the future,’ so listen to them.”
At the Hélène Boucher high school in Paris’ 20th district, protesters constructed makeshift barricades using overturned trash cans and bicycles. Authorities have closed hundreds of schools to reduce tension following widespread damage and injuries. On Tuesday, classes were suspended at 891 schools either fully or partially.
In response to accusations of ignoring protesters, the Education Ministry launched an online portal allowing high school students to anonymously report difficulties and propose changes. Parents and teachers have positioned themselves between demonstrators and police, advocating for the protection of children’s rights.
Emilia Sichili Suriam, a parent association member, stated, “They are our children. Teachers, parents, federations, we all share the same goal: the protection of children’s rights, and it is a legitimate right to demonstrate and to make demands.”
Protesters have highlighted severe resource gaps in disadvantaged schools, citing rundown classrooms lacking basic furniture, excessive heat without air conditioning, and rat infestations. Additional grievances include staff shortages and heavy workloads, with French high school students facing some of the highest compulsory classroom hours in Europe.
Suzanne Nijdam, president of the federation of student associations, vowed that demonstrations would continue until authorities address these issues. “So, we really need to act now, and it’s in the government’s hands, to see these demands through to the end,” she said. “It’s a matter of political priority, a matter of prioritizing the youth and the future of our country.”
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