France: Protests Spread Into Third Week as Hundreds of Schools Shut Down

Protests in France have entered a third week as tens of thousands of students and union members took to the streets in cities across the country. The largest marches took place on Tuesday, marking an escalation of a movement that began with grievances over conditions in schools.

What the protesters want

Students are demonstrating against deteriorating facilities at secondary schools (lycées), particularly in disadvantaged areas. Marches have been held in Strasbourg, Bordeaux, Nantes, Marseille, Lyon and numerous other towns and cities.

According to students, absent teachers are not being replaced, many school buildings are run-down and some are infested with rats, furniture is in short supply, class sizes are too large and school days run long. A severe heatwave that swept France over the summer has only worsened conditions in neglected schools, which also lack air conditioning.

The demonstrations are running in parallel with a nationwide wave of public-sector strikes against proposed 2027 budget cuts aimed at saving 54 billion euros ($61.3bn), as President Emmanuel Macron's government seeks to bring a large public deficit under control. Public-sector workers and unions are particularly opposed to a planned pay freeze intended to save around 2 billion euros ($2.27bn).

Parents are also joining the protests in growing numbers amid anger over how police are handling underage demonstrators. The movement also reflects broader frustration over rising fuel and consumer prices and public spending cuts under Macron. Government officials accuse political opposition groups and unions of exploiting the student movement; Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu said last week that political rivals were encouraging escalation.

Developments so far

As of Tuesday morning, at least 6,100 people had been arrested, many of them under 18, amid close scrutiny of police tactics. Serious injuries have also been reported.

In the northern city of Lens, a 15-year-old boy lost a hand on Monday after what was described as contact with a police stun grenade that then exploded. Prosecutors said they are investigating whether the student picked the grenade up himself or whether it struck him.

Education Minister Edouard Geffray said on Monday that at least 190 secondary school students had been injured. A day earlier, he said 78 education staff had been injured and 24 schools had been burned or looted. According to Interior Minister Laurent Nunez, around 715 police officers had been injured as of Tuesday.

Officials said as many as 589 schools were disrupted this week, down from 735 last Friday. Human rights organisations, including Amnesty International, have criticised the use of force against minors after media reports that students were beaten with batons and hit with rubber bullets and tear gas.

Tuesday: school blockades and protests continue

Protesters continued to blockade schools on Tuesday as thousands took to the streets. Crowds carrying banners were reported in Marseille in the south, Strasbourg in the east and numerous other major cities.

In the 20th arrondissement of Paris, protesters outside the closed Helene Boucher secondary school overturned bins and bicycles and set up makeshift barricades, according to the AP news agency. Meanwhile, parents stood between demonstrators and police to protect their children.

Emilia Sichili Suriam, a member of a parents' association, said: "They are our children. Teachers, parents, the unions — we all share the same goal: to protect children's rights, and protesting and making demands is a legitimate right."

Interior Minister Nunez rejected criticism of police on Tuesday, insisting the response had been proportionate in "most cases" and arguing that the protests were turning into "riots".

What it means for the French government

These are the latest in a series of high-profile protests that have marked Macron's term and undermined the government's reform efforts ahead of elections in April and May.

France expert Jacob Ross of the German Council on Foreign Relations (DGAP) told Al Jazeera that while Macron will not be running in next year's election, his and the government's image will inevitably be shaped by images of police chasing students through the streets. "He is no longer taken seriously because many people think he has left the government. But this still matters a great deal for the administration because they are clearly unable to calm the situation. There is clearly very little fiscal room to manoeuvre," Ross said.

Macron's terms have long been dogged by political and financial turmoil. Successive prime ministers have struggled to push through policy in a deeply polarised National Assembly, where Macron's centrist Renaissance party and its allied blocs lack a majority.

Critics have condemned Macron's deeply unpopular austerity measures, which have sharply reduced government spending and hit pensions and healthcare. Officials defend the policies against the backdrop of rising debt after spending during the COVID-19 pandemic.

On Sunday, Prime Minister Lecornu said the government had launched initiatives to address protesters' demands and that a report was due at the end of the month, but stressed that Paris would not "concede an inch" to violence.

Meanwhile, opposition leader Marine Le Pen of the far-right National Rally, who is leading in the polls, presented an alternative budget on Tuesday, pledging to save 140 billion euros ($157.6bn) by 2032 if elected next year.