France School Protests Escalate as Tear Gas Deployed in Paris, Marseille

Hundreds of thousands of demonstrators flooded streets across France on Tuesday as a protest movement that began with high-school pupils expanded to include parents, university students, and trade unions, prompting police to deploy tear gas in Paris and Marseille and water cannon in Rennes.

The protests, now in their third major wave — dubbed "Act Three" by organizers — represent a significant escalation of a movement that started in mid-September over conditions in the northern Paris suburb of Seine-Saint-Denis and has since spread nationwide.

In Paris, crowds of teenagers marched from the Place de la République, demanding greater resources for schools and an end to what they describe as heavy-handed policing. Clashes between demonstrators and officers were also reported in Lyon, though authorities noted that the day's unrest was less severe than violence that marred earlier protests.

Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu condemned the earlier violence and disclosed that since the protests began, 215 students and 85 school staff members have been injured, along with 715 police officers. The government reported disruption at 891 high schools — nearly a quarter of all lycées — and said more than 250,000 people had taken to the streets. Students' unions disputed those figures, putting the crowd at 450,000 and claiming 1,800 high schools had been blockaded.

In Marseille, thousands of demonstrators wound through the city, pausing briefly to chant before moving on as police changed direction. A group of masked protesters seized bollards and bins to barricade themselves against officers, prompting riot police to fire tear gas and disperse the crowd.

"Most of us aren't violent," said Alissa, a student in Marseille. "We're going to the streets because they've closed our schools... schools are falling apart." Her friend Sacha added that ceilings in the city's schools were leaking and conditions were generally poor, saying, "We will keep doing this until good measures are taken."

The protests have drawn political attention at the highest levels. In parliament, the prime minister accused the radical-left France Unbowed (LFI) party of attempting to "sow chaos" ahead of presidential elections in seven months. President Emmanuel Macron is nearing the end of his second and final term, while LFI leader Jean-Luc Mélenchon currently trails Marine Le Pen of the hard-right National Rally in opinion polls. Macron was scheduled to chair a meeting with ministers at the Élysée Palace on Tuesday evening to assess the situation.

Education Minister Édouard Geffray said he had appealed for dialogue rather than school blockades from the outset, and complained that "ultra-violent elements infiltrated the high-school student movements." He now faces pressure to address the students' demands. Government offerings so far — including a website for students to voice grievances and an afternoon of internal discussion in schools scheduled for Friday — have done little to quell the unrest.

France's largest union, the CGT, has announced further protests involving school and university students for Thursday, suggesting the movement is unlikely to subside soon.

The protests have also been fueled by widespread concern over allegations of "disproportionate force" by police. The IGPN, France's police inspectorate, has been investigating multiple cases. One officer who fired a tear-gas grenade at a high-school student in Saint-Ouen-l'Aumône, northwest of Paris, last week has been charged by prosecutors with "violence... resulting in mutilation or permanent disability."

The student, 14-year-old Eden, was part of a group blockading the Château d'Épluches lycée when he was struck in the face. His lawyer said he suffered a fractured jaw, broken upper teeth, and lost four lower teeth. In a separate incident Monday, a 15-year-old's hand was torn off after an "anti-encirclement" grenade was fired near a school in the northern city of Lens. Authorities claim the teenager picked up the "sting ball" grenade which then exploded, while students allege he was hit directly when an officer fired. The local prefect said the confrontation involved 200 to 250 students throwing stones and fireworks.

What began as localized anger over overcrowded classrooms, teacher shortages, and deteriorating school buildings in Seine-Saint-Denis has grown into a nationwide movement encompassing high schools and universities. With unions planning further action and the government struggling to offer a convincing response, the crisis shows little sign of resolution — and the political stakes, with presidential elections looming, could hardly be higher.