The interior ministry counted more than 250,000 people in Tuesday's high-school marches. Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu said 215 teenagers and 85 staff had been injured since the protests began.
Demonstrations swept France on Tuesday as teachers, parents and high-school pupils marched over conditions in the country's high schools. The interior ministry said the marches drew more than 250,000 people in dozens of cities. Organisers put the total at 450,000.
Police fired tear gas and water cannons to disperse violent groups on the fringes of marches in Paris, Strasbourg, Rennes and Toulouse, Reuters reported. The Guardian said the interior ministry counted 200,000 people outside Paris and 56,000 in the capital. Paris police said clashes in the capital involved about 300 people, most hooded or masked, and that several storefronts were damaged.
Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu told lawmakers at least 215 teenagers and 85 school staff had been injured since the protests began more than a fortnight ago, which he called the heaviest toll in decades paid by the school system. The interior ministry said 488 people were arrested and 48 security personnel were injured on Tuesday, Reuters reported.
The protests focus on replacing absent teachers, the length of the school day and lunch breaks. Lecornu has ordered ministers to address those demands. The government is also under pressure over public debt after President Emmanuel Macron's allies lost their majority in 2024.
The Guardian said Macron called key ministers to the Elysee on Tuesday night. No new school-policy law was announced with the turnout figures.
People Sentiments Negative
- Sebastien Lecornu called the injury figures the heaviest toll in decades paid by the school system.
- Organisers said 450,000 people marched, above the interior ministry count.