More than 250,000 students, teachers, and parents faced tear gas and water cannons across French cities on Tuesday as protests over dilapidated classrooms and systemic education underfunding escalated into clashes that led to thousands of arrests.
The demonstrations turned violent in cities including Rennes, where protesters lit street fires and hurled projectiles as security forces moved in. In Paris, where authorities deployed tear gas and water cannons as dusk fell, a crowd faced off against police near Bastille Square.
Students Blockade Schools As Protests Grow Across France
The student movement, which began in mid-September before spreading nationwide, has disrupted hundreds of educational institutions. Protesters have utilized wheelie bins, metal barriers, and burning trash piles to blockade school entrances, pointing to severe infrastructure issues ranging from water leaks to rat infestations.
According to the Education Ministry, 224 schools were closed in the morning, down to 157 by lunchtime. Facing mounting pressure, the ministry offered an online portal for complaints.
Police Arrest Hundreds and Injure Teenager in Clashes
The heavy-handed policing tactics have drawn sharp condemnation from student groups, teachers, and human rights organizations. The Interior Ministry reported that 488 people were arrested and 48 security personnel were injured during Tuesday’s mobilizations alone, bringing total detentions since September to more than 6,100.
Public scrutiny intensified further after a 15-year-old boy lost a hand and part of his lower arm after picking up a police dispersal grenade. In response to the severe injury, the government suspended the use of stun grenades in policing the protests.
The sources do not provide a quotation from Omar Slaouti regarding the division of protesters or the government’s reaction to burning trash cans.
Protests Threaten Emmanuel Macron Ahead of April Election
The unrest presents a challenge for the administration of outgoing President Emmanuel Macron. Prime Minister Lecornu lamented the violence, property damage, and thousands of lost hours of class time, while taking direct aim at political leaders leveraging the youth anger for electoral gain ahead of France’s presidential election in April.
Opposition figures have seized on the unrest, with far-left lawmaker Aurélien Le Coq describing the police response as disproportionate and criticizing the use of riot police, batons, and rubber bullets against minors. Meanwhile, student leaders rejected a late-Wednesday pledge by Lecornu to present concrete funding responses by the end of October, labeling the announcement as “hot air” and calling for further demonstrations.
Students Occupy Schools Across Belgium and Italy
The French student movement has reverberated beyond national borders, inspiring similar demonstrations and school occupations in neighboring countries. In Belgium, police in Liège made almost 200 arrests in connection with student protests this month, prompting the city’s mayor to impose a ban on public gatherings of more than three people until October 16. In Italy, students in Rome and Naples occupied high schools and organized walkouts, with those in Naples adding opposition to a planned migrant detention centre to their demands.