Nationwide Classroom Boycotts Spark Clashes Across France
French police deployed tear gas and water cannons on Tuesday as a surging wave of high school protests swept across the country. What started as localized anger over neglected classrooms has rapidly transformed into a nationwide movement. Hundreds of thousands of teenagers, joined by parents, university students, and major trade unions, took to the streets to demand more education funding and condemn what they describe as police brutality.
Diverging Numbers and Growing Tension
Turnout estimates for the mobilization, dubbed “Act Three” by organizers, varied wildly. The education ministry reported that over 250,000 protesters took part, with disruptions reported at 891 high schools. Student unions, however, painted a much larger picture, claiming that 450,000 people joined the rallies and that 1,800 schools were blockaded.
The demonstrations turned tense in several major cities. In Paris and Marseille, officers fired tear gas to disperse crowds, while water cannons were used in Rennes. Clashes also flared in Lyon. In Marseille, masked demonstrators tried to block streets with bins and bollards before riot police pushed them back. Students insist their cause is urgent. “Our schools are literally falling apart,” said Alissa, a Marseille student, describing leaky ceilings and neglected facilities that make learning impossible.
Severe Injuries and Allegations of Excess Force
The physical toll of the unrest is climbing. Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu confirmed that 215 students, 85 school staff members, and 715 police officers have been injured since the demonstrations began. The interior ministry reported 6,547 arrests since late September.
Public anger has been sharpened by two high-profile injuries involving police weapons:
- In Saint-Ouen-l’Aumône, north-west of Paris, a 14-year-old named Eden suffered a fractured jaw and lost multiple teeth after being hit in the face by a tear-gas canister. The officer who fired the projectile has been charged with violence causing permanent disability.
- In the northern city of Lens, a 15-year-old boy lost his hand when an anti-encirclement grenade exploded. Authorities claim the youth picked up the device after it was thrown to disperse a stone-throwing crowd, but classmates maintain he was struck directly.
Political Fallout and Upcoming Action
The crisis has quickly escalated into a political battle. In parliament, Prime Minister Lecornu accused Jean-Luc Mélenchon’s radical-left France Unbowed (LFI) party of sowing chaos to boost its standing ahead of the presidential election in seven months. With President Emmanuel Macron entering the final stretch of his second term, the government is feeling the heat. Macron held an emergency meeting at the Élysée Palace to review the situation.
Education Minister Édouard Geffray has tried to cool tensions by offering an online feedback forum and school debate sessions, but students have dismissed these steps as empty gestures. With the powerful CGT union calling for fresh protests on Thursday, the disruption is unlikely to end anytime soon.