PARIS — At least 250,000 students, teachers and parents protested across France on Tuesday, supported by trade unions and rights groups. The demonstrations demanded improved public education conditions and challenged government spending on military investment.
The student movement began Sept. 17, when high schoolers blockaded school entrances in Creteil, a Paris suburb, over dilapidated buildings, teacher shortages and overcrowded classrooms. The protests spread rapidly across the Paris region.
Police deployed riot officers to break up blockades and arrested more than 6,000 protesters. Authorities said 85 percent of those detained were under 18. France's police watchdog, IGPN, opened at least 10 investigations into alleged misconduct.
Reports indicated 210 teenagers sustained injuries during confrontations, including one who lost a hand. Police reported 715 officers wounded.
On Oct. 2, Education Minister Edouard Geffray met with student leaders. The government announced a five-point education reform plan, which students rejected as insufficient.
Amnesty International France President Anne Savinel-Barras said authorities used "unnecessary and excessive force." She cited reports of tear gas deployed recklessly, batons and restraint techniques that caused serious injuries, including wounds from rubber bullets.
Theo, 19, said: "Macron's government has to stop investing only in war. We're fed up. That's why we're all here together in this movement of solidarity, young and old. We all have the same demands: a better future."
Olympe, 16, said her school was blockaded for a week to "denounce what's happening in our schools," citing absent teachers and fewer resources than Paris schools. Rania, 15, said: "We don't feel listened to at all. We feel inferior, especially considering that we're the future."
Maissene explained the collective nature of the movement: "We came to support our classmates, simply because if they're blockading, we blockade too. It's a general movement, and they can't do it on their own." Raphael, 17, said the state often dismisses young people as politically unaware.
The criticism of military spending reflects broader discontent. President Emmanuel Macron has called for a defense industry that produces "more, faster" for France and export. Other protests featured slogans including "Macron, we will not die for Ukraine" and demands to halt war financing.
