France's Student Protests Continue After Government Suspends Police Stun Grenades

The movement began in September over conditions inside French schools. Students are protesting teacher shortages, overcrowded classrooms, deteriorating buildings and inadequate education funding, according to The Hindu.

At Paul Éluard High School in a suburb of Paris, anger over poor classroom conditions led students to become among the first to blockade their campus, The New York Times reported. The protests subsequently spread nationwide, drawing support from parents, teachers and trade unions, according to The Conversation.

On October 6, nationwide demonstrations brought hundreds of thousands into the streets. The total is disputed: The Conversation reported 450,000 participants, compared with 250,000 according to the French government. About 56,000 people marched in Paris, according to Japan Times.

Hundreds of high schools were shut that Tuesday as teacher unions joined the student movement, Bloomberg Economics reported. Some protests turned violent. Reporting published on October 7 by Adnkronos described more than 200 injuries and said 24 schools could not reopen after fires and looting, leaving nearly 30,000 students without in-person lessons.

On October 7, France suspended police use of stun grenades at student protests after a 15-year-old boy's hand was blown off earlier that week in Lens, the BBC reported. According to Euronews, the teenager lost his hand while handling a police grenade. The outlet also reported more than 6,500 arrests since the movement began, most involving minors.

The police response became a central point of dispute. Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said it had been proportionate in "almost all cases" and that some demonstrations had become riots requiring intervention, according to NDTV. Meanwhile, France24 reported mounting allegations of police brutality.

In a televised address on October 7, Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu promised a plan to address students' concerns by the end of October and denied that police had been ordered to confront students, according to CNA. He promised better learning conditions without offering additional funding, ARD Tagesschau reported.

The government's concessions have not ended the mobilisation. High school and university students were called to protest again on October 8, two days after the large nationwide turnout, according to Reuters. Franceinfo described the planned demonstrations as the movement's fourth day of action.

Support is also extending through the school system. On October 7, the main union representing school heads issued a national social alert, backed students' demands and formally called for government negotiations, Franceinfo reported. The dispute now concerns both school resources and how authorities respond to the demonstrations.

The immediate test is the October 8 mobilisation and whether the government's promised measures satisfy demands for more resources. Franceinfo reported that Sébastien Lecornu announced five areas of work to answer students' concerns; the plan promised by the end of October remains pending, according to CNA.

The future of stun grenades is also unresolved. The suspension is temporary, according to Amnesty International, which has called for a permanent ban on their use in policing protests.