Student protests in France escalate into widespread unrest

On 17 October, France saw widespread protests that, according to official figures, drew at least 550,000 people. The demonstrations were started less than a month earlier by high school and university students unhappy with problems in the education system. They were later joined by trade unions, the yellow vests movement and others dissatisfied with the policies of President Emmanuel Macron and Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu. In many places the protests turned into riots, car burnings and looting of shops.

Demands and the budget crisis

Government attempts to calm the situation did not work. Education Minister Édouard Geffray announced on 8 October that three thousand substitute teachers would be sent to schools to ease a staff shortage, yet the number of protesters kept growing. The Union Syndicale Lycéenne, a high school students' union, demanded 10 billion euros for school repairs and hiring new teachers, plus 150,000 new places in education, which would cost about another five billion euros.

Such demands are hard to meet because the country is in a budget crisis. During Macron's presidency, national debt has risen from 2.2 to 3.6 trillion euros, or 119% of gross domestic product. About 80 billion euros will be spent this year on servicing the debt, compared with 57 billion on defence.

Arrests, injuries and damage

By the start of this week, more than seven thousand people had been detained, around 2,500 of them on 17 October. More than 80% of those detained are minors. According to the prime minister, about a thousand police officers have been hurt in clashes, and one officer has died. One student lost a hand in a tear gas grenade explosion. There is no official confirmation of reports of a protester's death.

Already 150 rioters have been convicted, another 800 are due to stand trial, and 200 investigators are working on the cases. Local authorities may impose curfews in districts where further riots are likely. The 143-year-old city hall in Limoges and the tourist centre in Lyon burned down, and Marseille, Nice and central Paris were also affected. Provisionally, around 1,500 shops were looted or vandalised, along with at least 3,000 smaller retail outlets.

What comes next

Macron promised to restore order and punish those responsible, while Lecornu was tasked with finding solutions in education. The president was criticised for attending a Céline Dion concert with his wife on 17 October. New demonstrations are called for this weekend, and a general strike for 3 November. Similar but smaller protests have taken place in Italy and Belgium, and some analysts draw parallels with 1968.