French students lead massive protests against education policies

Geoff Bennett:

More than a quarter-million people poured into the streets of France today, a dramatic development in a student-led movement that started at one single high school. In some cities, clashes erupted between police and protesters, and French officials condemned what they called extreme violence.

Our Deema Zein reports.

Deema Zein:

Along the grand promenades of Paris, police in riot gear, firing tear gas at protesters, many of them young teens.

Authorities said 300 hostile individuals attempted to confront officers on a day where 56,000 students, parents, and teachers marched through the French capital. Similar scenes broke out across the country from Strasbourg in the east to Lyon farther south, the biggest day yet after weeks of student-led demonstrations.

Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu weighed in on the chaos from France's National Assembly.

Sebastien Lecornu, French Prime Minister (through interpreter):

Extreme violence has knocked on the doors of these high schools, and this extreme violence must be condemned unconditionally.

Deema Zein:

Since the protests began in mid September, roughly 6,000 people have been arrested. About 300 students and staff have been injured, as have some 700 police officers. France's interior minister says the police response has been proportionate in -- quote -- "almost all cases."

But it's also fueling defiance and anger, leading to today, as union activists joined 250,000 protesters nationwide, demanding more education funding amid understaffed schools, overcrowded classrooms, and dilapidated academic buildings.

Students vowed to continue to mobilize as more blockades formed around hundreds of high schools.

Etienne, Student (through interpreter):

It's important to protest to make our voices heard. Despite the repression, the strikes, and the tear gas, we have to continue fighting because it's not over.

Deema Zein:

Among the crowds, parents shielding their children from police lines, chanting to their faces: "There is no danger. You are the ones creating it."

Emilia Sichili Suriam, Member, Parent Association FCPE (through interpreter):

We all share the same goal, the protection of children's rights. And it is a legitimate right to demonstrate and to make demands.

Lea Monimart, Early Childhood Professional (through interpreter):

They're 17 years old. They're not completely clueless, and they know what they're talking about. It's important to show that there are adults who support them.

Deema Zein:

For the "PBS News Hour," I'm Deema Zein.