French police fire teargas as mass school protests draw hundreds of thousands

The Protests

Police fired teargas and used baton charges as more than 250,000 pupils, teachers and parents demonstrated across France on Tuesday. The interior ministry reported 200,000 marchers in cities like Marseille, Nantes and Lyon, alongside 56,000 in Paris, while organisers estimated the total at 450,000. Protesters are demanding better high school conditions, including enough teachers, fixed school buildings and shorter hours.

Clashes and Casualties

The nationwide movement, which began over a fortnight ago in the northern suburbs of Paris, has seen severe clashes. French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu stated that 215 teenagers and 85 school staff have been injured, alongside 715 police officers. Twenty-four schools have been burned or ransacked, and more than 6,100 people have been arrested, almost all minors. In northern France, a 15-year-old lost a hand, a 16-year-old lost the use of his right eye in Tours, and a 14-year-old lost most of his teeth near Paris during the unrest.

Government and Union Response

President Emmanuel Macron called key ministers to the Élysée palace for talks on Tuesday night. Prime Minister Lecornu ordered ministers to address core student demands and defended police actions as mostly proportionate, condemning extreme violence from some protesters. Meanwhile, trade unions, rights groups, and Amnesty International accused police of unnecessary and disproportionate force, prompting the interior minister, Laurent Nuñez, to launch 10 internal investigations.

Context

These high school demonstrations have escalated rapidly ahead of presidential elections scheduled for seven months from now, adding pressure to a government already grappling with a growing budget deficit and public debt. The movement has also drawn political friction, with the government accusing the radical-left La France Insoumise party of orchestrating the blockades.