French Police Deploy Tear Gas as School Funding Protests Escalate Nationwide

French riot police used tear gas and water cannons on Tuesday as more than 250,000 demonstrators rallied across the country to support high school students demanding increased education funding. The nationwide unrest marked the culmination of weeks of escalating classroom boycotts and building blockades, mounting pressure on the administration of President Emmanuel Macron. While marches in cities including Paris, Marseille, and Strasbourg were largely peaceful, sporadic clashes erupted between security forces and youth protesters.

According to the Interior Ministry, roughly 256,000 people took part in Tuesday's demonstrations nationwide, including 56,000 in Paris alone. The heavy-handed police response has sparked fierce backlash from parents, educators, and opposition lawmakers, following more than 6,100 arrests—predominantly involving minors. Officials reported that 715 police officers have been injured, alongside multiple serious casualties among teenagers, including a 15-year-old boy who lost a hand to a stun grenade. Far-left lawmaker Aurélien Le Coq condemned the use of batons and rubber bullets against youth as "absolutely unbearable," while Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez defended the state's tactics as proportionate.

The demonstrations initially flared in mid-September at a suburban Paris high school before transforming into a wider movement tapping into deep-seated public discontent. Students have highlighted derelict facilities lacking basic desks, rat infestations, unventilated classrooms, and severe staff shortages, contrasting their grim realities against France's soaring cost of living and constraints on public spending. In response to building damage and escalating disruptions, authorities suspended classes at 891 high schools across the nation on Tuesday.

Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu told parliament that while the government must listen to student grievances, it will not tolerate "ultra violence" targeting school infrastructure. The Education Ministry has since set up an online portal inviting pupils to anonymously submit complaints regarding campus conditions. However, student leaders have vowed to sustain walkouts and street mobilizations until the executive branch commits substantial budget increases to the country's public education system.