135 arrested as France mobilizes 70,000 police for school protests

Interior Minister Laurent Nunez announced on Saturday that 135 individuals were arrested across France during nationwide marches. Authorities also confiscated a variety of items, including metal balls, lead pellets, fireworks, slingshots, steel balls, improvised weapons, a katana sword, and airsoft guns. The government deployed more than 70,000 police officers to manage the demonstrations, which it estimates involved at least 400,000 participants. Trade unions suggested the actual number of marchers was double the official count.

The protests were driven by high school students demanding more teachers and repairs to deteriorating buildings. The movement, which began in mid-September, has expanded to include trade unions, teachers, and parents. In Paris, at least 110,000 people marched along the eastern edge of the city. While much of the afternoon was peaceful, with brass bands playing and families in attendance, tensions rose near Porte de Vincennes. Masked men threw glass bottles and stones at officers. Police responded with teargas, water cannon, and stun grenades. Similar clashes occurred in Lyon, Lille, Montpellier, Nantes, and Toulouse, where teargas was used to keep crowds away from city centers. In Marseille, bin fires were lit during confrontations.

Participants criticized the government for banning non-union demonstrations and restricting access to city centers. Nadège, a 43-year-old communications worker who was teargassed the previous weekend, said she was marching to support those demonstrating peacefully. She stated, "In France, it's our legal right to protest in the street and I'm here to defend that." A 21-year-old student from a blockaded Paris science faculty described the situation as an authoritarian regime trying to stop democratic protest. Jérôme Rodrigues, a figure from the 2018 gilets jaunes movement, said the government was pushing demonstrators to the city's edges away from places of power. He indicated that demonstrations were likely to continue every weekend.

The current unrest follows a particularly violent day in France the previous Saturday. That event saw public buildings burned, hundreds of shops destroyed, and at least 2,700 arrests. Police investigations are underway regarding injuries sustained by children and protesters from explosive weaponry. In Orléans, thousands marched against a congress by Marine Le Pen's National Rally party. Crowds chanted slogans demanding Macron resign and Le Pen be imprisoned. Macron is scheduled to step down next year.