70,000 officers deployed as 400,000 march in France

The French government deployed more than 70,000 police officers to manage nationwide demonstrations on Saturday, during which at least 400,000 people marched in support of student demands for better school conditions. The state estimated the total turnout at 400,000, while trade unions asserted the figure was double that amount. These protests mark a continuation of unrest that began in mid-September, when high school students aged 15 to 18 began demonstrating against staff shortages and deteriorating infrastructure.

In Paris, government counts placed the crowd at 110,000 along the eastern edge of the city. The atmosphere in the capital remained largely calm for much of the afternoon, with brass bands playing and families participating. Participants carried banners reading "Oppression breeds rebellion" and "The right to protest," criticizing what they described as heavy-handed policing tactics used against the student movement over the past month.

Tensions escalated at the end of the Paris route near Porte de Vincennes. Groups of masked men in black, who appeared separate from the main peaceful crowd, threw glass bottles and stones at police. Officers responded with teargas, water cannon, and stun grenades. A bin was set on fire, and fireworks were launched toward police lines. Similar clashes occurred in other major cities, with teargas used in Lyon, Lille, Montpellier, Nantes, and Toulouse to keep protesters away from city centers. Bin fires were also reported in Marseille.

The interior minister, Laurent Nunez, announced that 135 people were arrested across France during the marches. He stated that various items were confiscated, including metal balls, lead pellets, fireworks, slingshots, steel balls, improvised weapons, a katana sword, and airsoft weapons. Shops were boarded up and many museums closed in anticipation of the demonstrations, reflecting a government strategy to contain the crowds after a violent day of unrest the previous week.

The previous Saturday saw one of the most violent days of unrest in years, with public buildings burned, hundreds of shops looted, and at least 2,700 arrests. The government’s current approach includes banning non-union demonstrations deemed "illegitimate" and restricting access to city centers. These measures have drawn criticism from protesters who feel their democratic rights are being curtailed.

Nadège, a 43-year-old communications worker who was teargassed during the previous weekend’s peaceful demonstration, said she returned to the streets to support those demonstrating. "It does take courage. People are afraid now," she said. A 21-year-old student from a Paris science faculty, which is currently blockaded, described the situation as an "authoritarian regime" attempting to stop the democratic right to protest.

Jérôme Rodrigues, a prominent figure from the 2018-2019 gilets jaunes movement, noted that some demonstrators wore yellow vests. He argued that the government’s tactics of pushing protesters to the edges of cities indicate fear rather than strength. "Today the government is afraid; that is why they are pushing demonstrators to the edge of the city, away from places of power," Rodrigues said. He predicted that demonstrations would continue every weekend.

In Orléans, thousands of people marched against a congress of the National Rally party, led by Marine Le Pen, a frontrunner in next year’s presidential election. The crowd shouted slogans such as "Macron, resign. Le Pen in prison." Le Pen’s party is far-right and anti-immigration, while President Emmanuel Macron steps down from office next year.

Police investigations are ongoing following reports that some children and protesters were maimed or injured by explosive police weaponry. The crisis has expanded beyond the initial student complaints about leaking buildings and a lack of chairs in overcrowded classrooms to include broader issues of cost of living and police conduct. Trade unions, teachers, and parents have joined the movement, which is described as the biggest youth-led protest wave in years.