French Government Spends Billions on Police for School Protests

The French government mobilized a force of more than 70,000 police officers on Saturday to secure demonstrations across the country. This massive deployment included boarding up shops and closing museums to prepare for crowds in major cities. The state estimated that at least 400,000 people participated in the marches, while trade unions claimed the number reached 800,000.

In Paris, government figures placed the local crowd at 110,000 people marching along the eastern edge of the capital. Participants supported high school students in their demand for more teachers and structural repairs. Many also criticized the high cost of living and the heavy-handed tactics of the police over the previous month. The mood remained relaxed for much of the afternoon, with brass bands playing and families walking together.

Tensions rose at the end of the route in Paris, specifically at Porte de Vincennes. Groups of masked men in black threw glass bottles and stones at police lines. Officers responded with teargas, water cannon, and stun grenades. A trash bin caught fire, and fireworks were launched toward the crowd. Similar clashes occurred in other cities, where teargas kept protesters out of central areas in Lyon, Lille, Montpellier, Nantes, and Toulouse.

The current crisis stems from student protests that began in mid-September. Students aged 15 to 18 initially complained about staff shortages, leaking roofs, and crumbling buildings. They also noted a lack of chairs in overcrowded classrooms. The movement has since expanded to include trade unions, teachers, and parents, making it one of the largest youth movements in recent years.

President Emmanuel Macron faces political pressure in his final months in office. Critics point to his ban on non-union demonstrations deemed illegitimate and his strategy of keeping protesters away from city centers. Nadège, a 43-year-old communications worker, described being teargassed during a peaceful demonstration the previous weekend. She said she returned to the streets to defend the legal right to protest in France.

A 21-year-old science student from Paris noted that the current administration feels like an authoritarian regime. The student argued that the government is trying to stop the democratic right to protest in public spaces. Police investigations are ongoing after children and protesters were injured by explosive weaponry during earlier clashes.

Some demonstrators wore yellow vests to reference the 2018 and 2019 anti-government protests. Jérôme Rodrigues, a key figure from that earlier movement, stated that the government is afraid of its power. He argued that pushing demonstrators to the city edges does not solve the financial struggles of French people. Rodrigues predicted that demonstrations would continue every weekend.

In Orléans, thousands of people marched against a congress hosted by Marine Le Pen’s National Rally party. The crowd shouted slogans calling for Macron to resign and for Le Pen to be imprisoned. Le Pen is a leading candidate in next year’s presidential election. The marchers criticized both the current president and the far-right opposition.

Interior Minister Laurent Nunez reported that 135 people were arrested nationwide on Saturday. Police confiscated various weapons, including metal balls, lead pellets, fireworks, and slingshots. Officers also seized steel balls, improvised weapons, a katana sword, and airsoft guns. These arrests follow a previous week of unrest where 2,700 people were detained and hundreds of shops were destroyed.