France braces for nationwide student protests: What we know so far

Student organizations and youth unions across France are gearing up for a wave of nationwide demonstrations, threatening major disruptions across high schools and university campuses.

Organizers are mobilizing students to protest against mounting financial strains, shrinking educational resources, and broader economic policies impacting youth employment and housing.

Tens of thousands of people are demonstrating across France, in protest at what they say is under-investment in high schools.

One union says 2,000 high schools have closed.

Police have fired tear gas in Paris and in Marseille -our reporter there says he can "feel it in my throat and eyes"

In Lyon, a barricade was set on fire; while in Rennes, police used water cannon. In Paris, one 17-year-old tells us she studies in "overcrowded" classes of 35.

Reports indicate it's hard to see how the demands will be met by a government that urgently needs to rein in public spending.

Transport networks and campus administrations in major urban centers, including Paris, Lyon, and Marseille, are bracing for localized blockades and potential clashes with law enforcement.

The impending mobilization underscores growing social friction in the country, echoing previous historic student movements that quickly gained broader labor backing.

As reported by the Guardian, nearly 90,000 students, staff and parents have taken to the streets in cities across France as protesters blockaded hundreds of high schools in a nationwide day of action against long hours, missing teachers and crumbling classrooms.

The French interior ministry said 86,000 people took part in marches in cities including Marseille, Nantes and Lyon on Tuesday morning, with up to 40,000 more expected to join the largest demonstration, in Paris, later in the day.

The demonstrations come after a fortnight of protests that began in the capital’s northern suburbs before snowballing across the country.

They have been marred by frequent and often violent clashes with riot police that have left hundreds injured, some severely.

While many protests have been peaceful, some demonstrators have set dustbins on fire, destroyed bus shelters and thrown projectiles at police, who have responded with batons, teargas and riot-control rounds.

Twenty-four schools have been burned or ransacked since the start of the protests, according to the education ministry.

At least 715 police officers and 215 teenagers have been wounded, according to government figures, while 6,100 people have been arrested, almost all minors.

More than 1,800 are being prosecuted, 1,483 of them under 18, the justice ministry said

Government officials have urged restraint while security forces prepare contingency plans to maintain public order as protest dates draw closer.