Paris is bracing for a fresh surge of street unrest today, with tens of thousands of demonstrators expected as France’s heavyweight trade unions join high school students demanding better conditions in protests that have increasingly spilled into confrontations with police.
Since late September, students have blockaded entrances to hundreds of high schools for 15 to 17-year-olds, saying their schools are short of teachers, schedules are overloaded, classrooms are in poor condition and buildings are not equipped to handle rising temperatures.
Many demonstrations have unfolded peacefully, but others have turned volatile. In some cases, students have set dustbins alight, burned bus shelters or clashed with riot police, who have responded with batons, tear gas and riot-control rounds.
The government says the movement has left 215 students and 715 police officers injured, including a 15-year-old who lost a hand yesterday after picking up a sting-ball grenade fired by riot officers.
Riot police stand at Place de la Nation in Paris
The protests are erupting at a politically charged moment, with only months to go before the 2027 election that will choose a successor to centrist President Emmanuel Macron, who is limited to a maximum two terms in office.
Demonstrations are expected nationwide today after lessons were disrupted at 589 of the country’s 3,700 lycees and 32 universities, according to the education ministry and a student union.
Officials are forecasting a turnout of about 20,000 to 40,000 people in Paris alone.
Police probed
Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu’s office urged protesters to keep gatherings “peaceful” and called for a return to “a structured, legal and democratic form of opposition”.
Sophie Binet, head of the CGT labour union, said members would attend to “protect high-school students”.
Several unions have accused police of using disproportionate force against demonstrators.
Police have opened ten internal investigations into brutality allegations since the unrest began, Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said late yesterday.
Students talk with riot police officers near the Place de la Bastille
Ministers say they are working to respond to students’ complaints, while also alleging that hard-left activists have diverted the protests from their original aims.
Since the movement began, 24 schools have been burned or ransacked, the education minister said.
More than 5,000 people have been arrested, and 87 percent of them are minors.
Mr Lecornu’s office said 85 teaching staff have also been injured.
The prime minister has moved to tackle the shortage of teachers and accelerate renovations of dilapidated school buildings.
At the same time, the government is advancing legislation that would require those who damage public property to cover repair costs themselves rather than drawing on public funds.
Mr Lecornu has said the draft law could allow compensation payments to be recovered from family allowances and housing benefits, while ensuring a minimum income.
Ms Binet, the union leader, warned the measure would “end up targeting the most vulnerable families”.
