PARIS, October 07, 2026 (DAILYNWZ) — Nationwide protests over France’s deteriorating schools erupted into clashes on Tuesday, leaving at least 215 teenagers and 85 school staff injured and putting fresh pressure on a government already struggling with debt, weak growth and political instability.
More than 250,000 people joined demonstrations in dozens of cities, according to the Interior Ministry, while organisers put the turnout at 450,000. Police used tear gas and water cannons against violent groups in Paris, Strasbourg, Rennes and Toulouse, while 488 people were arrested and 48 security personnel injured, the ministry said.
Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu told lawmakers that the number of casualties represented “the heaviest toll in decades paid by the school system”. His office said more than 700 police officers had also been injured. President Emmanuel Macron convened Lecornu and other senior ministers for an emergency meeting, broadcaster BFM reported.
The protests began in September in disadvantaged Paris suburbs before spreading nationwide. Students and their supporters are demanding more staff and funding, along with better-maintained schools. Complaints range from teacher shortages and overcrowded classrooms to leaking buildings and rat infestations.
The High School Students Union said more than half of France’s high schools had been blockaded or closed for the day. Some local education authorities moved classes online.
In Paris, police said clashes involved about 300 people, most of them hooded or masked, while the wider demonstration proceeded largely without major incident. Several storefronts were damaged. In Marseille and Nantes, protesters carried signs accusing the state of abandoning public education, while parents joined demonstrations in cities including Toulouse.
Rights groups, students and parents have accused authorities of using disproportionate force against minors. The government says the movement has been hijacked by outsiders and, in some places, turned into urban violence. More than 1,800 people, including 1,483 minors, were being prosecuted as of Monday, according to the Justice Ministry.
The unrest has also become a political flashpoint ahead of next spring’s presidential election. U.S. President Donald Trump attributed the protests to what he called uncontrolled migration and claimed they reflected a desire by Islam to take over France. The students’ stated demands, however, concern education conditions rather than immigration or religion. Marine Le Pen’s far-right National Rally has not linked the protests to migration policy.
Lecornu has ordered ministers to respond to the protesters’ demands, including replacing absent teachers, reviewing the 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. school day, considering longer lunch breaks and repairing ageing school buildings. He has asked for initial proposals by the end of October.
Turning those promises into action will be difficult. France is under pressure to reduce a widening budget deficit as investors demand higher returns to hold its debt. The 10-year government bond yield briefly exceeded 5% last week, its highest level in 24 years.
The fiscal squeeze comes as French education spending has lagged inflation and students have fallen behind their OECD peers in overall performance, according to data from the PISA 2025 assessment.