French students staged protests in cities across the country this week, maintaining pressure on the government over education policy, though several demonstrations were marred by outbreaks of violence between participants and police.
The protests drew thousands of participants in Paris, Lyon, Marseille, and Toulouse, according to organizers, with smaller gatherings reported in dozens of other towns. At least three marches ended in confrontations after groups of demonstrators broke away from planned routes, and police responded with tear gas and mass arrests in some locations.
The student mobilization reflects long-running tensions over university funding, admissions procedures, and proposed changes to degree requirements that critics say would deepen inequality between elite institutions and regional universities. Student unions have coordinated rolling strikes and campus blockades since the start of the academic term.
Interior Ministry figures put total turnout nationwide at roughly 60,000, while the organizing unions claimed more than 150,000. Discrepancies between government and union counts are routine at French demonstrations and typically reflect differing methods of tallying participants.
At the Paris march, a group of several hundred protesters, some wearing masks and carrying improvised projectiles, clashed with riot police near the Place de la République. Authorities reported 24 arrests and said seven officers sustained minor injuries. No serious injuries to protesters were confirmed.
"We are here because the government refuses to listen to students," said one union representative at the Lyon demonstration, who asked not to be named because of ongoing legal proceedings. "Each week they ignore us, more people join."
Education Minister offices did not issue a statement on the latest round of protests. A government spokesperson said earlier in the week that talks with student representatives would resume after the current parliamentary budget debate concludes.
French universities have seen periodic protest waves over the past two decades, most notably in 2006 and 2018, when proposed reforms triggered weeks of strikes that forced the government to withdraw or amend legislation. Student leaders have signaled further actions are planned for next week, including a national day of mobilization.
Universities in several cities have suspended some classes because of building occupations, and some high schools reported partial blockades by students sympathetic to the movement. Rail and transit disruptions have so far been limited, unlike during the 2018 protests.
