More than 250,000 students, teachers and supporters took to the streets across France on Tuesday to demand improved learning conditions, with some demonstrations later escalating into clashes between protesters and security forces.
The protests came after weeks of unrest among high school students, who have blocked entrances to hundreds of schools since late September over complaints about teacher shortages, overcrowded timetables and deteriorating school facilities.
Students aged between 15 and 17 have also raised concerns about classrooms and school buildings struggling to cope with rising temperatures.
Rights groups, trade unions and student organisations have accused authorities of using excessive force to contain the demonstrations.
A teenager lost a hand on Monday after police fired a stun grenade, while another student reportedly lost several teeth the previous week after being struck by a police launcher round.
In Paris, demonstrators gathered at Place de la République under banners calling for increased funding for schools.
Two men wearing climbing gear scaled a nearby monument and unfurled a banner that read, “Neglected schools, sacrificed youth.”
“Gen Z has risen up and wants to be heard,” 19-year-old Lilia told AFP during a large march in central Paris, expressing hope that President Emmanuel Macron would listen to the protesters.
The protests come ahead of France’s 2027 presidential election, which will determine Macron’s successor. Far-right politician Marine Le Pen is currently prominent in opinion polls despite her conviction in a graft case.
The Paris demonstration was largely peaceful, according to an AFP reporter, although tensions erupted near its eastern endpoint, where police fired tear gas after some protesters threw rocks at officers in riot gear.
Police officials said about 300 “hostile individuals” were attempting to confront officers.
An AFP reporter also witnessed a young man with a head injury receiving treatment from volunteer medics.
Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu condemned violence associated with the demonstrations, telling lawmakers that there was “no room for tolerance of violence”.
“Burning down a high school does not improve the state of high school buildings,” Lecornu told parliament, rejecting accusations that the government had ordered police repression against protesters.
While many of the demonstrations have remained peaceful, authorities said some protesters had set fires, damaged bus shelters and clashed with riot police.
Security forces have responded with batons, tear gas and crowd-control rounds.
The government said 215 students and 715 police officers had been injured since the protests began.
In Lens, a 15-year-old student lost a hand after being hit by a sting-ball grenade fired by riot police on Monday.
In Metz, prosecutors requested a police investigation after footage circulated appearing to show a plainclothes officer inappropriately touching a detained female student under the age of 15.
The government has sought to address some of the students’ concerns while accusing the hard-left France Unbowed (LFI) party of encouraging the protests.
Veteran LFI presidential candidate Jean-Luc Mélenchon has backed the demonstrations while calling on protesters to avoid violence.
Thomas, a 17-year-old student from Val-de-Marne, a suburb of Paris, said some classrooms at his school lacked sufficient desks and chairs, while bathrooms were reportedly without doors, toilet paper and soap.
“We just want better conditions for studying,” he told AFP.
Teachers, parents and other adults also joined Tuesday’s demonstrations in support of the students.
In Rennes, teacher Romain Dubourg said teachers had discussed what they regarded as police brutality and decided to stand alongside the students.
In Lyon, parents organised demonstrations in support of the young protesters, while teacher Rindala Younes said she wanted to help students communicate their demands peacefully.
“The high school students’ demands are legitimate,” she said.
Amnesty International called on French authorities on Monday to end what it described as disproportionate police repression during the student demonstrations.
Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said police had opened 10 internal investigations into allegations of misconduct.
The Education Ministry said 24 schools had been burned or ransacked since the protests began.
More than 5,000 people, 87 per cent of them minors, have been arrested, while the prime minister’s office said 85 teaching staff had also been injured.
