French Student Protests Continue: Over 6,000 Arrested, 'More on Repression Than Education' Becomes Public Spending Dispute

French Interior Ministry data show that since the student protests erupted in late September, police have arrested more than 6,600 people, most of them minors under 18. According to France 24, the Hélène Boucher high school in northeastern Paris was the scene of clashes this Thursday: students used trash bins to set up barricades at the school gate, riot police assembled in side streets, and tear gas was subsequently deployed.

Place de la Bastille was the focal point of that afternoon's demonstration. France 24 reported that police again used tear gas and high-pressure water cannons, with some protesters throwing objects at riot police. The Education Ministry said 375 schools nationwide were fully or partially closed, fewer than before, but pressure continues to build on the outgoing Macron government.

At the heart of the student protests is insufficient education funding. Eighteen-year-old university student Emma Khelil returned to her alma mater, Hélène Boucher, in solidarity, telling the Associated Press: "We are here to defend our rights, not to lose an eye or a hand." She also reported problems with poor insulation and leaks in the school building, saying she had seen rats on multiple occasions, a claim corroborated by other students.

Protesters directed their criticism squarely at public spending priorities. Banners read: "More money for repression than for our education" and "Who protects us from the police?" Sofia Ferdials, an 18-year-old student at Paris 8 University, told France 24 at Place de la République: "We are here, we are marching, and we will not stop. October, November, December, if necessary. Nothing will stop us." Khelil judged the movement would not lose momentum: "As long as things don't change, the movement will get stronger, and there could be a convergence of struggles, especially with the next presidential election approaching."

French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu characterized the situation in a televised address as "violence, attacks on students and staff, injuries to police and gendarmes, schools set on fire or damaged, countless hours of class lost, not to mention threats and insults," elevating the situation to the level of "the safety of French youth." He also lashed out at politicians "using this anger to fight an election campaign," warning: "We cannot play with the safety of French youth." France will hold a presidential election next April.

Dounia Gergeon, a 39-year-old school librarian, joined the rally at Place de la Bastille, saying: "They don't feel supported. They feel cornered, forced to work in these conditions." Her secondary school specifically sets aside time for students to discuss their demands.

The protests have crossed France's borders. Nearly 90 people were arrested in Liège, Belgium, with several police officers injured. According to France 24, Mayor Willy Demeyer issued a ban on public gatherings until midnight on October 16, citing "a real, serious and imminent risk." Local police said they used high-pressure water cannons and tear gas on Wednesday to disperse hundreds of protesters, sent urgent text messages to shopkeepers advising them to close, and reinforcements were brought in from Brussels and Antwerp. Belgian Interior Minister Bernard Quintin said on social media: "The perpetrators will have to answer for their actions in court." The Belgian protests were organized through online chat groups, with demands including more teachers, smaller class sizes, and opposition to that country's education reforms; smaller protests also broke out in Mons and Charleroi.

Students in Turin, Rome and Naples in Italy occupied schools, held rallies and marches. France 24 noted that the scale in Italy was "much smaller" and the demands more diverse, but activists cited the French movement and chanted "Do as in France." Turin students occupied several high schools over building conditions, education funding and increases in military spending; students in Naples also incorporated opposition to a planned immigration detention center into their demands.