Tear gas used in Paris and Marseille as students rally across France

Hundreds of thousands of French students joined a nationwide protest over poor school conditions that led to clashes with police and tear gas deployments.

The demonstrations began in the Paris suburb of Seine‑Saint‑Denis and spread to major cities, with students demanding better resources, less police repression and improved facilities. Police in Lyon, Paris and Marseille used tear gas and, in Rennes, water cannon to break blockades.

Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu said the protests had caused injuries to 215 students and 85 staff, and 715 police officers by the evening of the first day. He has called the organisers “radical‑left” and blamed France Unbowed for stoking chaos ahead of the May parliamentary vote.

Education Minister Édouard Geffray urged dialogue but students reject perceived violent disruptions. The CGT union announced further marches for Thursday.

Incidents of disproportionate force by officers have triggered investigations by the IGPN. A 14‑year‑old suffered a fractured jaw after a tear‑gas canister was fired, and a 15‑year‑old lost his hand in an incident involving a grenade near a school in Lens.

Additional reporting by Manon Prat in Paris.