French Student Protests Escalate as Clashes Erupt in Paris

By Staff, Agencies

Clashes erupted in Paris between police and demonstrators demanding the resignation of President Emmanuel Macron, the prime minister, and the education minister, as security forces used tear gas and water cannons to disperse crowds amid escalating student-led protests.

The French Interior Ministry said 161,500 people participated in demonstrations nationwide, more than double the 71,500 recorded during the previous round of protests last Thursday. Unions involved in organizing the marches put the national turnout at 480,000.

In Paris, the ministry counted 41,500 participants in one of two marches held in the capital. AFP journalists reported that several cars were set on fire as police fired tear gas at masked youths who threw objects and attempted to erect barricades.

Tear gas was also deployed during demonstrations in Lyon, while rallies took place in Nantes, Strasbourg, Toulouse, Bordeaux, Marseille, and Lens.

Reports from the capital described continuing confrontations, with demonstrators sustaining injuries and police making arrests. As more protesters arrived at the square, officers continued firing tear gas canisters to disperse the crowds.

Swedish activist Greta Thunberg joined a march in the Paris suburb of Saint-Denis, while Jean-Luc Mélenchon, leader of the France Unbowed party and a presidential hopeful, appeared among demonstrators in Paris. His party has backed the student movement.

The protests began last month when secondary-school students aged 15 to 18 blocked school entrances to demand better classroom conditions.

Anger over police conduct has since broadened the mobilization, particularly following reports of serious injuries among young demonstrators.

According to AFP, one teenager lost a hand after picking up a police stun grenade, another lost an eye, and a third lost teeth after a tear gas canister struck his face.

Police have opened internal investigations into 34 allegations of violence against demonstrators, while the Education Ministry reported that 147 teaching staff had been injured.

The ministry said 214 schools, mostly high schools, were closed on Tuesday. Student union l’Union Étudiante said 90% of universities nationwide had shut in solidarity with the protests.

Students have rejected the government’s offer to deploy 3,000 substitute teachers to 114 of the hardest-hit schools, insisting that authorities address teacher shortages, deteriorating school buildings, and overloaded timetables.