What started as a localized university student and teacher protest in a Parisian suburb has led to protests against the living conditions, high gas prices, and worsening conditions in school, all across the country as well as the European continent. The series of protests have lasted six weeks since September 18. Soon enough, other organizations like labor unions, climate activist groups, and human rights groups joined the protests, bringing the issues to the global eye.
The spark for these protests started in Créteil, southeast of Paris, where students rallied with striking teachers for overcrowded classrooms, staffing shortages, and poor building conditions. Similar protests appeared in other cities around the country, from Lille in the north to Marseille in the south. Outlets are calling it the biggest student protests in decades as rally organizers report 400 schools across the country participating in the demonstrations by the end of September.
Labor unions soon joined the student activists to protest the cost-of-living crisis, converging grievances into a national movement. On October 31, high school students, unions, and climate activists, each with their own banner, marched alongside security staff from the Confédération générale du travail (CGT)—one of France’s largest unions—keeping watch at the front.
The protests peaked on October 17. Authorities estimated the turnout at almost 550,000 marchers on that day. Protesters set fires, looted shops, clashed with police, and stormed public buildings, including Marseille’s city hall. In response, police made more than 1,300 arrests.
Across the six weeks of protests, the police’s actions have been judged with heavy scrutiny. They have used tear gas, rubber bullets, stun grenades, and charges with batons. Several high school students have been hospitalized and, in some cases, suffered injuries requiring amputations. In one incident, a police officer standing two yards away fired a tear gas grenade in a boy’s face, breaking his jaw and destroying many of his teeth. In another case, a 17-year-old boy’s hand was destroyed by a grenade.
The government has continued to support the police’s actions, citing that they were forced to protect themselves from violent protesters. However, police conduct has been scrutinized in recent years. During a protest over high gas prices and other issues between 2018 and 2020, some protesters were shot in the eye with rubber bullets. Experts say the use of heavy-duty weaponry for crowd control has been the cause of such incidents.
Saturday saw a third straight weekend of mass protests against increasing cost-of-living and police brutality, mostly peaceful. The Interior Ministry estimated that 320,000 people protested nationwide, with 70,000 in Paris, some of whom were dressed in Halloween costumes. One of the signs stated, “No need for tear gas to make our future look bleak.” The police resorted to tear gas and clashed with the protesters, while 300 arrests have already been made nationally.
The unrest has spread to other countries. In Germany, thousands of young people have been protesting in the streets, motivated by similar protests in other parts of Europe, calling for increased education funding and against the high cost of living. The police used water cannons and pepper spray as the masked protesters threw fireworks, rocks, and bottles at them. In Barcelona, a youth meeting on October 24 led to looting and fires, with 128 people arrested and 15 injured police officers.
