70,000 Police Guard 400,000 Protesters as Schools Crisis Deepens

President Emmanuel Macron’s administration is facing its most intense domestic challenge in the final months of his term. On Saturday, hundreds of thousands of people took to the streets in cities across France to support high school students demanding more teachers and structural repairs for aging facilities. The demonstrations largely supported the student movement but also expressed widespread frustration with high living costs and the government's policing tactics.

The Interior Ministry estimated that at least 400,000 people participated in the nationwide marches. In Paris alone, government figures placed the crowd size at a minimum of 110,000 people moving along the eastern edge of the city. Trade unions, which are increasingly aligned with the student cause, claimed the total number of marchers was double the official count. To manage the scale of the events, authorities deployed more than 70,000 police officers. Preparations included boarding up shops and closing many museums to prepare for potential disruption.

The protest was a direct response to a crisis that began in mid-September. Students aged 15 to 18 initially protested staff shortages, leaking roofs, and crumbling buildings. The movement has since expanded to include trade unions, teachers, and parents. Police investigations are currently underway after reports of children and protesters being injured by explosive police weaponry. Demonstrators have also criticized Macron for banning non-union demonstrations deemed illegitimate and for restricting access to city centers.

The atmosphere in Paris remained relaxed for much of the afternoon, with brass bands playing and families participating. Banners reading "Oppression breeds rebellion" and "The right to protest" were visible among the crowds. However, tensions rose at the end of the route near Porte de Vincennes. Groups of masked men in black, who did not appear to be part of the main peaceful march, threw glass bottles and stones at officers. Police responded with teargas, water cannon, and stun grenades. A trash bin was set on fire, and fireworks were launched toward the police line.

Similar clashes occurred in other major cities. Teargas was used in Lyon, Lille, Montpellier, Nantes, and Toulouse to prevent protesters from entering city centers. In Marseille, trash bin fires were lit amid the confrontation. The government was wary of repeating the events from the previous Saturday, which saw one of the most violent days of unrest in years. Public buildings were burned, hundreds of shops were looted, and at least 2,700 people were arrested during that earlier incident.

Laurent Nunez, the interior minister, announced that 135 people had been arrested across France on Saturday. He stated that various items had been confiscated from the crowd, including metal balls, lead pellets, fireworks, slingshots, steel balls, improvised weapons, a katana sword, and airsoft weapons. The deployment of such a large police force reflects the government's fear of significant unrest given the scale of the turnout.

In Orléans, thousands of protesters marched against a congress hosted by Marine Le Pen's National Rally party. The crowd chanted slogans such as "Macron, resign. Le Pen in prison." Le Pen is a frontrunner in next year's presidential election. Some demonstrators wore yellow vests, a visual reference to the gilets jaunes protests of 2018 and 2019. Jérôme Rodrigues, a key figure from that earlier movement, said the government is pushing demonstrators to the edges of cities to keep them away from places of power. He added that demonstrations are likely to continue every weekend.

Individual participants described their motivation for joining the marches. Nadège, a 43-year-old communications worker, said she had been teargassed at a peaceful demonstration the previous weekend. She stated that she is returning to defend the legal right to protest in the street. A 21-year-old student from a blockaded Paris science faculty described the current political climate as increasingly authoritarian. Jesse, a 40-year-old charity worker, said she prepared carefully for the march by wearing old clothes in case of teargas or torn clothing. Pierre, a 60-year-old retired banking consultant, marched to support his eight-year-old granddaughter, citing the government's refusal to listen to public demands.