French Student Protests Continue: Education Funding Increase Trails Military Spending; Police Stun Grenades Cause Severe Injuries to Minors

French high school student protests have entered their third week, with demands for greater education investment and improved campus facilities. According to French Interior Ministry statistics, on Thursday, October 8 alone, approximately 71,500 people took to the streets across France, including some 24,500 in Paris, with police arresting more than 500. Al Jazeera reported that police used stun grenades against demonstrators, resulting in one teenager losing a hand and another's jaw being shattered.

Facing continued and growing street pressure, French Education Minister Édouard Geffray pledged in a television interview that evening: "In the coming hours, 3,000 teachers will enter these schools." He said these teachers would be assigned to priority high schools and authorized additional recruitment of "several hundred." Student associations met with Geffray and Higher Education Minister Philippe Baptiste that afternoon, demanding direct dialogue with Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu.

However, demonstrators have lost confidence in the government's promises. According to a report filed from Paris by Al Jazeera correspondent Natasha Butler, the students' position is: "In their view, the government only talks about solutions but never takes concrete action, so students say they will continue to take to the streets until their demands are met." A coordination committee composed of students and trade union groups has called for a new national action on Tuesday, October 13.

The budgetary gap between education and the military is at the core of this protest. France is debating its 2027 budget in parliament, in which education spending will increase by 1.4% to 90.9 billion euros, the second-largest increase in the budget after defense. Economy Minister Roland Lescure said this week that there is still room to meet students' demands for more school resources.

The gap between government promises and reality is being steadily amplified by casualty figures. According to data released by Lecornu, since September 28, 215 students, 89 teachers, and 761 police officers and gendarmes have been injured, and 6,629 people have been detained, the majority of whom are minors. The Interior Ministry said that on Thursday, 375 schools across France were partially or fully closed, and roughly 24 schools were burned or damaged.

The issue of police use of force is under intense scrutiny. Human rights organizations have accused security forces of using disproportionate force against protesters. Stun grenades have since been banned for use in demonstrations. Police have launched internal investigations into 18 complaints lodged against officers. In Paris, police said they fired tear gas at the Bastille Square on Thursday to disperse demonstrators.

The Macron government is under growing political pressure. The unrest comes as the cash-strapped outgoing president prepares for elections next April. In a televised address on Wednesday, Lecornu condemned the violence and criticized "political leaders who exploit this anger for electoral struggle" — an apparent jab at opposition leader Jean-Luc Mélenchon, who has called for continued demonstrations.

Lecornu has ordered ministers to submit concrete action plans responding to students' demands by the end of the month. In Belgium, more than 100 people were also arrested in student protests triggered by education costs.