About 250,000 people joined demonstrations in France, according to the Interior Ministry, while unions estimated turnout at roughly 450,000. Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu said hundreds of students, school staff and police had been injured.
The protests began over overcrowded classrooms, teacher shortages and deteriorating school buildings. On Tuesday, October 6, clashes broke out in several cities. Police used tear gas and stun grenades, while demonstrators set bins on fire. President Emmanuel Macron called an emergency meeting with ministers.
The French Interior Ministry put nationwide turnout at 250,000; organisers said 450,000 people took part. Lecornu described the toll on the school system as the heaviest in decades. He said at least 215 teenagers and 85 school staff had been injured, while his office reported more than 700 police officers hurt. The ministry said 488 people were arrested and 48 security personnel injured on Tuesday alone. More than 6,000 people have been detained during weeks of protests. On Monday, the Justice Ministry said 1,800 people were being prosecuted, including 1,483 minors.
Demonstrators have cited poor buildings, outdated computers, heating problems and a lack of teachers. A 17-year-old student identified as Emma told France 24 that students did not want political groups to appropriate their protest. Sociologists from the University of Tours, quoted by Le Monde, also described complaints about overcrowding and deteriorating school facilities.
Political slogans were also visible at the rallies. Claims that the movement was driven by migrants or religious politics were not supported by the students’ stated demands in the reporting. US President Donald Trump blamed the unrest on mass migration and Islam, echoing claims made by some right-wing activists. Lecornu reported clashes and injuries, but students said the protests were primarily about education conditions.
The unrest included several serious incidents. In Lens, a teenager lost a hand after an incident involving a police grenade; his family disputed the claim that he had picked it up. In Saint-Ouen-l’Aumône, outside Paris, authorities are investigating an officer who fired a grenade launcher. French media reported that a 14-year-old student named Eden suffered facial injuries. The circumstances of these incidents require separate scrutiny.
The demonstrations have become a political flashpoint. Left-wing leader Jean-Luc Mélenchon supported the young protesters, while National Rally leader Marine Le Pen said the events were no longer school demonstrations and called for a new law against rioters. She also proposed cutting public spending by about €140 billion over five years if elected, while promising higher teacher salaries and improved school security. Those proposals have not been enacted.
The protests are unfolding ahead of next year’s presidential election. A Toluna-Harris poll conducted in late September showed Le Pen leading in a hypothetical first round and defeating Mélenchon in a second round; it is a polling result, not an election forecast. The Associated Press and Reuters independently reported on the scale of the protests and police use of tear gas. Reuters also reported the figures of 215 injured teenagers and 85 school staff.