France Deploys 70,000 Officers to Guard 400,000 School Protesters

The French government estimated that at least 400,000 people marched in cities across the country on Saturday, while trade unions claimed the figure reached 800,000. To manage the crowds, authorities deployed more than 70,000 police officers, a logistical effort that forced many museums to close and prompted shop owners to board up their windows.

In Paris, the government counted at least 110,000 participants moving along the eastern edge of the city. The demonstration began with a relaxed atmosphere, featuring brass bands and families with young children. However, tensions rose near the route's end at Porte de Vincennes, where groups of masked men in black threw glass bottles and stones at officers. Police responded with teargas, water cannon, and stun grenades, while protesters set a trash bin on fire and launched fireworks toward the line.

Similar scenes of unrest occurred in other major cities. Teargas was used in Lyon, Lille, Montpellier, Nantes, and Toulouse to keep protesters out of the central districts. In Marseille, clashes led to several bin fires. The deployment of such a large security force followed a turbulent previous Saturday, when France experienced one of its most violent days of unrest in years, resulting in the destruction of hundreds of shops and the arrest of at least 2,700 people.

Protesters cited high school conditions as the primary driver of the movement, pointing to staff shortages, leaking roofs, and crumbling infrastructure. Many also expressed anger over the cost of living and what they described as heavy-handed policing. Banners carried by marchers read "Oppression breeds rebellion" and "The right to protest." Some demonstrators wore yellow vests, echoing the anti-government protests of 2018 and 2019.

Nadège, a 43-year-old communications worker, said she had been teargassed during a peaceful demonstration the previous weekend. "I'm out again peacefully today to support everyone who is brave enough to demonstrate. It does take courage. People are afraid now," she said. "In France, it's our legal right to protest in the street and I'm here to defend that." A 21-year-old student from a Paris science faculty noted that the government appeared to be trying to stop the democratic right to protest.

Jérôme Rodrigues, a key figure from the 2018 gilets jaunes movement, stated that the government was afraid and pushing demonstrators to the edges of cities. He said police shields would not solve the struggles of people unable to make ends meet. Pierre, a 60-year-old retired banking consultant, marched for his eight-year-old granddaughter, citing the government's refusal to listen. Jesse, a 40-year-old charity worker, wore old clothes and carried a "Free Hugs" sign, preparing for the possibility of being gassed or torn up by the crowd.

The crisis originated in mid-September when students aged 15 to 18 began protesting against overcrowded classrooms and a lack of basic furniture. The movement has since expanded to include trade unions, teachers, and parents. Police investigations are currently underway after some children and protesters were injured by explosive police weaponry. Interior Minister Laurent Nunez reported that 135 people had been arrested across France on Saturday.

Nunez stated that authorities had confiscated various weapons from the crowd, including metal balls, lead pellets, fireworks, slingshots, steel balls, improvised weapons, a katana sword, and airsoft weapons. In Orléans, thousands of people marched against a congress held by Marine Le Pen's National Rally party, shouting slogans demanding Macron's resignation and Le Pen's imprisonment.

Rodrigues indicated that demonstrations were likely to continue each weekend. The government has banned non-union demonstrations it deems illegitimate and has kept protesters away from city centers, a strategy that has drawn criticism from organizers and participants.