PARIS, France – Hundreds of thousands of people took to the streets across France on Tuesday as protests that began among high-school students spread to parents, university students and trade unions.
Teenagers marched through central Paris, including from Place de la République, demanding more resources for schools and an end to what they described as excessive police repression.
Police clashed with protesters in Lyon, while tear gas was fired in Paris and Marseille. Water cannon were also used in Rennes, although the unrest was less severe than violence reported during earlier demonstrations.
The government said 891 high schools were disrupted on Tuesday, representing almost a quarter of all lycées in the country. It estimated that more than 250,000 people joined demonstrations nationwide.
Student unions put the number of protesters at about 450,000 and said as many as 1,800 high schools had been blockaded in what they called the “Act Three” of the protest movement.
Protesters Demand Better Schools
In Marseille, thousands of demonstrators moved through the city, stopping at various points to chant before police altered their direction.
A group of masked protesters attempted to use bollards and bins to create barricades, prompting riot police to fire tear gas and disperse the group.
Students said their demonstrations were driven primarily by deteriorating school conditions rather than violence.
“Most of us aren’t violent,” a student identified as Alissa said. “We’re going to the streets because they’ve closed our schools… schools are falling apart.”
Her friend Sacha said some school buildings in Marseille had leaking ceilings and generally poor conditions.
“We will keep doing this until good measures are taken,” he said.
Government Condemns Violence
Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu condemned the violence reported during the protests and said 215 students and 85 members of school staff had been injured since the demonstrations began.
He also said 715 police officers had been injured.
Education Minister Édouard Geffray said the government had initially appealed for dialogue rather than school blockades.
He accused “ultra-violent elements” of infiltrating high-school student movements.
The government is now under pressure to respond to demands over overcrowded classrooms, staff shortages and deteriorating school infrastructure.
Measures announced so far, including a website for students to submit grievances and an afternoon of discussions in schools on Friday, have failed to satisfy protesters.
France’s largest union, the CGT, has said further demonstrations involving school and university students are planned for Thursday.
Police Conduct Under Scrutiny
The demonstrations have also sparked concerns over police tactics, with allegations of disproportionate force being investigated by France’s police inspectorate, IGPN.
In one case, a police officer who fired a tear-gas grenade at a high-school student in Saint-Ouen-l’Aumône, north-west of Paris, has been charged with violence resulting in mutilation or permanent disability.
The 14-year-old student, identified as Eden, was participating in a blockade at the Château d’Épluches lycée when he was struck in the face.
His lawyer said the teenager suffered a fractured jaw, broken upper teeth and lost four lower teeth.
In the northern city of Lens, a 15-year-old suffered severe injuries to his hand after an anti-encirclement grenade exploded near a school.
Authorities said the teenager picked up the so-called “sting ball” grenade before it exploded, while students alleged that police fired it directly at him.
The local prefect said the incident occurred as police faced a group of between 200 and 250 students who were throwing stones and fireworks.
Protests Spread Beyond Schools
The movement began in mid-September amid anger over overcrowded classrooms, shortages of teachers and deteriorating school buildings in Seine-Saint-Denis, north of Paris.
It has since spread to schools across France and into some universities.
Tuesday’s demonstrations also attracted older generations.
In Paris, a couple in their 70s, Alain and Michèle, joined the march in solidarity with students. Both are former teachers and said they understood the challenges facing France’s education system.
“We are the grandparents of three students who are all mobilised,” Alain said, adding that their grandchildren had protested peacefully but were still affected by tear gas.
Macron To Assess Escalating Protests
President Emmanuel Macron was due to chair a meeting with ministers at the Élysée Palace on Tuesday evening to assess the growing protests.
Macron is approaching the end of his second and final term as president, while the unrest comes months before France’s next presidential election.
In Parliament, Lecornu accused the radical-left France Unbowed (LFI) party of seeking to “sow chaos” ahead of the election.
LFI leader Jean-Luc Mélenchon has been campaigning for the presidency, while opinion polling cited in the source places him behind National Rally leader Marine Le Pen.
The government now faces pressure to address the students’ demands while managing concerns over public order and allegations surrounding police use of force.
