World · Paris
France: Police Use Tear Gas as School Protests Spread
In brief
Police in Paris and other French cities fired tear gas on Tuesday, October 6, as large crowds rallied behind school pupils calling for more education funding. France’s Interior Ministry estimated 256,000 people took part nationwide, including 56,000 in Paris, NPR reported.
The protests follow more than two weeks of class boycotts and school blockades led by students. According to NPR, more than 6,100 people have been arrested during the movement, most of them minors, and several serious injuries have been blamed on police crowd-control weapons.
The Paris march was mostly peaceful, but small groups clashed with riot police at a city square. Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said the police response had been proportionate in almost all cases. In parliament, Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu condemned violence aimed at schools and said any incidents involving police would be investigated.
The Education Ministry said classes were fully or partly disrupted at 891 schools on Tuesday, after authorities began closing some schools last week. The protests have become an issue in the early stage of France’s presidential election campaign.
Why it matters
Education funding and the policing of young protesters are now central issues as France heads toward a presidential election, and further school closures could affect thousands of families.
Sources
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