266,000 Join French School Protests

About 266,000 people, including 56,000 in Paris, demonstrated across France on Tuesday in support of high school students demanding more education funding, staff and resources; the movement grew from blockades that began in Paris’s deprived suburbs in late September and drew parents, teachers and unions. Demonstrations were largely peaceful, but some protesters clashed with police, who used tear gas; nearly 500 people were detained Tuesday, and thousands had been arrested since the unrest began. A 15-year-old lost a hand during a confrontation in Lens, though accounts of how the injury occurred differed. Classes were suspended at about 500 high schools on Wednesday, and student leaders called for further blockades on Thursday as Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu prepared to address the protests and other issues. The demonstrations intensified debate over education inequality, spending cuts and France’s finances ahead of the 2027 presidential election, while protests in French-speaking Belgium were driven by separate local opposition to planned education budget cuts.