Tens of Thousands Take to Streets in France Demanding Better Education

Tens of thousands of people took to the streets across France on Tuesday as teachers, unions and high school students joined forces to demand improved education conditions, with the protests continuing amid clashes and allegations of excessive police force.

Students have been blocking the entrances to hundreds of high schools since late September, protesting teacher shortages, overcrowded schedules, deteriorating classrooms and school buildings struggling to cope with rising temperatures. Unions, rights groups and students have accused authorities of using disproportionate force. A police stun grenade reportedly severed a teenager’s hand on Monday, while another student lost teeth last week after police fired a grenade launcher toward his head.

“I’m worried about my future,” 15-year-old Selma told AFP during a demonstration in Marseille, France’s second-largest city.

The protests come only months before France’s 2027 presidential election, which will determine a successor to centrist President Emmanuel Macron. Far-right politician Marine Le Pen remains prominent in opinion polls despite her conviction in a graft case.

“We simply want to protect our education and have the right to be properly educated,” said 18-year-old Oceanne, another protester in Marseille.

She said she had repeatedly faced classes without teachers because vacant positions were either left unfilled or covered by what she described as “pointless substitutes.”

Another student carried a placard criticising long school hours, reading: “Timetables as packed as Le Pen’s criminal record,” referring to the far-right presidential candidate.

A major demonstration was scheduled to begin in central Paris early Tuesday afternoon.

The Interior Ministry said around 86,000 people had taken part in protests across the country outside Paris, while the CGT trade union estimated the turnout at 260,000.

‘At war’

In the western city of Rennes, teacher Romain Dubourg said he and several colleagues had gathered outside Chateaubriand High School to support their students.

“Along with around 30 colleagues, we discussed the police violence we had witnessed and decided to be there for our students if they needed us,” he told AFP.

Although many demonstrations have remained peaceful, some protesters have set fires, damaged bus shelters and clashed with riot police.

Police have used batons, tear gas and crowd-control projectiles to disperse demonstrators.

The government says 215 students and 715 police officers have been injured since the protests began.

A 15-year-old lost a hand after being struck by a sting-ball grenade fired by riot police in Lens, northern France, on Monday.

“It’s frightening,” said 16-year-old Mike Ryan, who decided not to join demonstrations in Lens after seeing images of the incident on social media.

“When you see a hand being severed like that, it feels as though we’re at war,” he told AFP.

In the northeastern city of Metz, prosecutors said they had requested a police investigation into an alleged sexual assault involving a girl under 15 after footage circulated online showing what appeared to be a plainclothes officer groping a detained female student.

The government has pledged to address some of the students’ concerns while accusing the hard-left France Unbowed (LFI) party of helping fuel the protests.

Veteran LFI leader and presidential candidate Jean-Luc Melenchon has voiced strong support for the demonstrations while urging protesters to remain peaceful.

Thousands arrested

CGT Secretary-General Sophie Binet said union members would be present to “protect high school students.”

Green Party leader Marine Tondelier called on local officials and parents to wear white and “go and protect our children during demonstrations.”

Amnesty International on Monday urged French authorities to “end the disproportionate police repression” witnessed during the student protests.

“The images and testimonies widely circulated over the past week raise serious concerns about the dangerous use of tear gas, batons and policing methods by French police,” Amnesty official Anne Savinel-Barras said.

Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said late Monday that police had opened 10 internal investigations into alleged misconduct since the protests began.

The Education Ministry said 24 schools had been burned or vandalised during the unrest.

More than 5,000 people have been arrested since the movement began, with minors accounting for 87% of those detained.

The Prime Minister’s office said 85 members of teaching staff had also been injured.

The government is also backing legislation that would require those responsible for damaging public property to cover the cost of repairs rather than leaving taxpayers to foot the bill.