Riot police use a water cannon as they confront students during a protest against under-resourced schools, in Rennes, western France, on Tuesday. Jeremías González/AP hide caption toggle caption i Jeremías González/AP PARIS — Police fired tear gas to control crowds in Paris and other parts of France on Tuesday as more than a quarter of a million people demonstrated across the country to support high school students demanding more funding for education, according to government figures. The protests increased pressure on the administration of outgoing President Emmanuel Macron. As students blocked high schools, large crowds waving flags and banners gathered in Marseille, Strasbourg and other cities. The demonstrations showed how protests that began at a high school in the Paris region in mid-September have grown into a nationwide movement, the latest of many that have marked Macron’s nearly decade-long rule. “We need to listen to them,” said Léa Monimart, an adult protester in the northern city of Lille. “They are 17 years old, they are not completely clueless and they know what they are talking about. It is important to show that there are adults who support them.” The Interior Ministry estimated that 266,000 people took part in demonstrations across the country on Tuesday, including 56,000 in Paris, where small groups of protesters clashed with riot officers in a city square at the end of a largely peaceful march. Nearly 500 people were detained on Tuesday, the ministry said. The widespread use of arrests, tear gas and riot weapons against teenagers is fueling defiance and angering some parents and teachers. Some student groups called for new protests on Thursday. Riot police use a water cannon as they confront students during a protest against under-resourced schools, in Rennes, western France, on Tuesday. Jeremías González/AP hide title toggle title i Jeremías González/AP Interior Minister Laurent Núñez said the police response had been proportionate in “almost all cases” and that protests had sometimes turned into riots, requiring police intervention. French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu said the government and school leaders must listen to students’ concerns and find solutions. Questioned on Tuesday in Parliament about the protest movement, Lecornu denounced the “ultraviolence” that threatens schools. In response to criticism of police tactics, he promised that any “accidents” would be investigated and described accusations that the police are racist as a “lie.” Class boycotts and police made thousands of arrests More than two weeks of class boycotts and school blockades, and a police crackdown that has led to more than 6,500 arrests, mostly minors, have become a flashpoint in the early days of the presidential election campaign. Felix Barney, a college student, called the police response disproportionate and said it makes “no sense to hit minors.” “Riot police, batons, rubber bullets, tear gas,” said Aurélien Le Coq, a lawmaker from the far-left France Insoumise party. Their presidential candidate strongly supports the protests. Students chant slogans during a demonstration against low-income schools in Paris on Tuesday. Teresa Suarez/AP hide caption toggle caption i Teresa Suarez/AP The violence is “absolutely unbearable,” Le Coq said. Núñez defended police tactics despite the growing number of serious injuries attributed to officers’ riot weapons. In the latest case, a 15-year-old boy lost a hand Monday in an incident involving a police stun grenade. He said 715 officers had been injured. The teenage protesters have struck a chord amid widespread discontent in France. Frustrations extend beyond immediate difficulties, such as fuel prices that have skyrocketed due to the Iran war, to broader concerns about restrictions on public spending, rising poverty and wealth inequality under Macron, who cannot run for a third consecutive term. In that context, students’ complaints that a lack of education funding is jeopardizing their futures have found a sympathetic audience. “You say ‘young people are the future’, so listen to them,” reads a handwritten sign taped to a metal barrier in front of a Paris school. The ministry offers an online portal for complaints At the Hélène Boucher lycee or secondary school in the 20th arrondissement of Paris, protesters overturned trash cans and bicycles to create a makeshift barricade. Like hundreds of other schools across the country, the school was closed. Authorities began closing schools last week to ease some of the protests after widespread damage to schools and mounting injuries among staff, students and police. Classes were totally or partially suspended on Tuesday in 891 schools, according to the Ministry of Education. Facing accusations that it was ignoring protesters, the ministry launched an online portal inviting high school students to anonymously describe the difficulties they face at school and the changes they want to see. Student protests have drawn attention to deteriorating classrooms. In Hélène Boucher, parents and other adults positioned themselves between protesters and police on Tuesday. “They are our children. Teachers, parents, federations, we all share the same objective: the protection of children’s rights, and it is a legitimate right to demonstrate and demand,” said Emilia Sichili Suriam, a member of a parents’ association. Protesters have expressed a variety of grievances, often focused on the lack of resources and opportunities for students in disadvantaged schools, despite the promise of France’s national motto: “Liberty, Equality, Fraternity.” Students have drawn attention to deteriorating classrooms that lack basics such as desks and chairs, become stifling in the summer without air conditioning and, in some cases, are infested with rats. Other common complaints include staff shortages and grueling workloads. The compulsory class hours of French secondary school students are among the highest in Europe. Suzanne Nijdam, president of the federation of student associations, promised that the demonstrations would continue until the authorities address the complaints. “Therefore, we really need to act now, and it is in the hands of the government to see these demands through to the end,” he said. “It is a matter of political priority, a matter of prioritizing youth and the future of our country.” Neighboring Belgium is also seeing student protests. More than 30 people were arrested on Tuesday and several police officers were injured in the eastern city of Liege, and smaller protests were held in Brussels and other cities.
