Over 250,000 Student Teachers Protest Across France
Over 250,000 Students, Teachers Protest Across France
More than 250,000 students and teachers have taken to the streets across France in the country's biggest youth protest in decades.
According to the French Interior Ministry, about 256,000 people joined demonstrations nationwide on Tuesday, including 56,000 in Paris. Organizers, however, put the figure at 450,000. The protests were held in Paris, Marseille, Lyon, Toulouse and other cities.
The movement began on September 21 at Saint-Exupéry High School in a Paris suburb where students and teachers protested over lack of staff and resources. It has since spread like wildfire to hundreds of high schools.
Students are complaining of missing teachers, overcrowded classrooms, dilapidated buildings that cannot cope with heatwaves, overloaded timetables, and an unfair university admission system Parcoursup. In public schools, 70% of classrooms now have more than 30 pupils.
What started as peaceful blockades has turned violent in some places. Police fired tear gas and used water cannons in Paris and Marseille as some protesters threw stones. Over 488 people were arrested on Tuesday alone, and more than 6,500 have been detained since the protests began.
Rights groups have accused authorities of disproportionate force after a teenager lost a hand from a stun grenade and another lost teeth from police launcher fire.
Education Minister Edouard Geffray met student leaders last Friday but no agreement was reached. Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu has called for peaceful protest.
The unrest comes months before the 2027 presidential election to succeed Emmanuel Macron.
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