School Crisis Drives Massive French March

A dispute over school staffing and infrastructure has expanded into a national confrontation in France. On Saturday, hundreds of thousands of citizens marched in cities across the country, largely in peaceful demonstrations that tested the limits of public order.

The government calculated that at least 400,000 people participated in the nationwide events. Trade union leaders challenged this figure, asserting that the actual number was double the official count. More than 70,000 police officers were deployed to manage the crowds. In preparation for the marches, shops boarded up their windows and many museums closed their doors.

In Paris, authorities estimated that at least 110,000 people walked along the eastern edge of the city. Participants supported high school students while also expressing frustration over the high cost of living. Many marchers criticized the heavy-handed policing tactics used against student protesters over the previous month. They argued that riot officers targeted demonstrations instead of the government providing political solutions.

Tensions escalated at the end of the Paris route at Porte de Vincennes. Groups of masked men, some dressed in black, threw glass bottles and stones at police lines. Officers responded with teargas, water cannon, and stun grenades. A bin caught fire, and fireworks were launched toward police forces. Similar clashes occurred in Marseille, where bin fires were lit during confrontations. Teargas was also used in Lyon, Lille, Montpellier, Nantes, and Toulouse to prevent protesters from entering city centers.

The current crisis originated in mid-September when students aged 15 to 18 began protesting against staff shortages and crumbling school buildings. The movement has grown to include trade unions, teachers, and parents. Police investigations are underway following reports that explosive police weaponry maimed or injured several children and protesters. President Emmanuel Macron faces a social and political challenge in his final months in office.

Demonstrators criticized Macron for banning non-union demonstrations deemed illegitimate and for keeping protesters away from city centers. Nadège, a 43-year-old communications worker, stated she was teargassed at a peaceful demonstration the previous weekend. She described the current climate as one where people are afraid to use their legal right to protest in the street. A 21-year-old student from a blockaded Paris science faculty described the country as increasingly authoritarian.

In Orléans, thousands of people marched against a congress held by Marine Le Pen’s National Rally party. The crowd shouted slogans demanding Macron resign and Le Pen go to prison. Jérôme Rodrigues, a key figure from the 2018 gilets jaunes movement, said the government was afraid and pushing demonstrators to the edge of the city. He noted that demonstrations were likely to continue each weekend.

Interior Minister Laurent Nunez announced that 135 people had been arrested across France. Authorities confiscated various weapons, including metal balls, lead pellets, fireworks, slingshots, steel balls, improvised weapons, a katana sword, and airsoft weapons.