Police Use Tear Gas as Cost-of-Living Protests Spread Across France

Police fired tear gas and made more than 250 arrests across France on Saturday as protests over living costs, fuel prices and the condition of public schools drew tens of thousands of people into the streets. The Interior Ministry recorded 140 separate actions involving 32,800 participants outside the Paris region by midday. Organisers and the CGT union later claimed far higher totals.

The demonstrations grew out of student blockades that began in mid-September in the northern suburbs of Paris over teacher shortages, overcrowded classrooms and outdated facilities. Those actions expanded into a broader call against inequality and public-service cuts. Yellow Vest activists, trade unions, farmers and retirees joined the call for a national day of action on the first day of school half-term holidays.

In Paris, scuffles broke out near Place de la République after the main march began in the early afternoon. Hooded protesters threw fireworks and other objects at officers, who responded with tear gas. Authorities had banned gatherings near government buildings, the Champs-Élysées and major train stations. A car and a newspaper kiosk were set alight in the square. In Lyon a tourist office caught fire; buildings were damaged in Marseille and Rennes.

A 19-year-old protester who gave her name as Lola told reporters in Paris: "We are fighting because the cost of living is too harsh, because the price of fuel is too high, because high school pupils are being violently attacked and hurt all over the country just for trying to protest and ask for more teachers and decent learning conditions." Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez blamed "ultra-left" elements for the violence. President Emmanuel Macron had appealed for calm and respect for people and property the day before.

Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu described the atmosphere as one of permanent crisis. The government is attempting to pass a cost-cutting budget while protesters demand higher wages, lower prices and more spending on education. More than 6,700 minors have been taken into police custody since the student protests began in September, according to figures reported this week. Human-rights lawyers have described several teenage injuries as severe.

The Saturday actions echo the Yellow Vest movement that began in 2018 over fuel taxes and later widened. With a presidential election approaching in 2027, the scale of participation and the level of street confrontation will shape the political climate for the remaining months of Macron's term. Officials have not yet published a full national count of participants or a final arrest total.