France's School Protests Enter Third Week as Arrests Top 6,100 and Injuries Mount

France is grappling with a deepening nationwide protest movement that has now entered its third week, as tens of thousands of school pupils and trade unionists have poured onto the streets of cities across the country. What began as a localized boycott of classes in disadvantaged neighborhoods of Paris on September 21 has evolved into one of the most significant challenges yet to President Emmanuel Macron's government, with some of the largest demonstrations occurring on Tuesday. The unrest has spread to Strasbourg, Bordeaux, Nantes, Marseille, Lyon, and numerous other towns, transforming a grievance over school conditions into a broad expression of public discontent.

At the heart of the student movement are complaints about deteriorating conditions in France's high schools, known as lycees, particularly in poorer areas. Pupils say that absent teachers are frequently not replaced, leaving classes without instruction for extended periods. They describe dilapidated school buildings that in some cases are infested with rodents, insufficient tables and chairs, overcrowded classrooms, and punishingly long school days. The severe heatwave that struck France during the summer made matters worse, exposing the lack of air conditioning and general neglect of school infrastructure. These material grievances have resonated widely, drawing support from parents and the broader public.

The student protests have unfolded alongside an ongoing nationwide public sector strike over a proposed 2027 budget that seeks to achieve 54 billion euros ($61.3bn) in savings. Macron's government is racing to bring a large public deficit under control, and the planned cost-cutting measures have provoked fierce opposition from public sector staff and unions. A central point of contention is the government's proposal to freeze salaries, a move intended to save approximately two billion euros ($2.27bn). The convergence of student and labor grievances has amplified the scale and intensity of the demonstrations, creating a broad front of resistance to the government's fiscal agenda.

Parents have become increasingly visible at protest sites, driven by widespread anger over the police response to demonstrating minors. On Tuesday, in Paris's 20th district, protesters outside the shuttered Helene Boucher lycee reportedly overturned rubbish bins and bicycles to construct makeshift barricades. Parents positioned themselves between the demonstrators and police officers in an effort to shield their children from potential confrontation. Emilia Sichili Suriam, a member of a parents' association, expressed the shared sentiment behind this protective stance, emphasizing that the protection of children's rights is a legitimate cause and that demonstrating to make demands is a fundamental right.

The human toll of the protests has been substantial and continues to mount. At least 6,100 people had been arrested by early Tuesday, many of them under the age of 18, according to official figures. Education Minister Edouard Geffray reported on Monday that at least 190 high school students had been injured. On Sunday, he added that 78 teaching staff members had also been hurt, and that 24 schools had been burned or ransacked. Interior Minister Laurent Nunez stated on Tuesday that some 715 police officers had been injured. These figures underscore the volatility of the situation and the intensity of the clashes that have erupted at school blockades across the country.

Among the most serious incidents is the case of a 15-year-old boy who lost his hand in the northern city of Lens on Monday. Reports indicate that he came into contact with a police stun grenade, which then exploded. Public prosecutors say investigations are ongoing to determine whether the youth actively picked up the grenade or whether it landed on him. The incident has become a flashpoint in the debate over police tactics, fueling outrage among protesters and human rights organizations who argue that the response to the demonstrations has been disproportionate and dangerous, particularly given the involvement of minors.

Rights groups, including Amnesty International, have sharply criticized the use of force against young people. Media reports have described students being struck with batons and rubber bullets, as well as being sprayed with tear gas. These accounts have intensified scrutiny of law enforcement conduct and have contributed to the growing public anger that has brought parents into the streets alongside their children. The criticism extends beyond individual incidents to encompass the broader strategic approach of the authorities in managing protests that predominantly involve minors.

Interior Minister Nunez has rejected the criticism, insisting on Tuesday that the police response has been proportionate in "almost all cases." He claimed that the protests were transforming into "riots," a characterization that protesters and their supporters dispute. The government has also accused political opposition groups and unionists of exploiting the student movement for their own ends. Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu accused political opponents last week of encouraging escalation, suggesting that the authorities view the unrest through a lens of political maneuvering as much as genuine grievance.

The scale of disruption to education has been considerable. Officials said that as many as 589 schools had been disrupted this week, a slight decrease from the 735 affected on Friday of the previous week. School blockades have repeatedly turned violent, with protesters accused of hurling objects at police and officers allegedly responding forcefully using batons, tear gas, and rubber bullets. In one case, a teenager lost his hand in a grenade explosion, an incident that has come to symbolize the dangers facing young demonstrators and the high stakes of the ongoing confrontations.

The protests represent only the latest in a series of high-profile movements that have marked Macron's presidency and repeatedly undermined his government's reform efforts. With elections scheduled for April and May of next year, the political implications are significant. Macron will not be running in those elections, but his image and that of his government have been tainted by images of police chasing students through the streets. Jacob Ross, a France expert from the German Council on Foreign Relations (DGAP), told Al Jazeera that Macron "is not taken seriously any more because many think of him as already out of government," though he stressed that the situation remains very significant.

The broader context of the unrest includes widespread public frustration over soaring fuel and commodity prices and reduced public spending under Macron. The convergence of student protests, public sector strikes, and general discontent over the cost of living has created a volatile political environment as the government attempts to navigate a fiscal crisis marked by rapidly rising government debt. The cash-strapped administration faces the difficult task of restoring fiscal stability while managing a population that appears increasingly unwilling to accept austerity measures, setting the stage for continued confrontations in the weeks ahead.