French police use tear gas as student protests escalate nationwide

French police fired tear gas at crowds as tens of thousands of people joined student demonstrations across France, the BBC reported. The New York Times and Reuters both reported that riot police clashed with protesters during the largest day of student demonstrations so far, with trade unions joining the student movement. [1]

The latest clashes follow an incident in which a teenage student had his hand blown off after picking up a police grenade during the education protests, according to reports from People.com, Sahara Reporters, and News18. [2][3][4]

The student demonstrations began on 21 September 2026 in the Créteil academy before spreading across the country, as recorded in public records. High school students cite missing teachers, class sizes of 32 to 35 pupils, long timetables, dilapidated buildings, stress from the Parcoursup application site, and extreme temperatures during heatwaves. By 1 October, parts of the movement involved arson, attacks on staff, and clashes with police, leading to 1,949 arrests that day. [5]

As FTMQ News reported earlier, high school students have blocked hundreds of schools since late September, prompting police to use tear gas, batons, and riot-control rounds against violent demonstrators. [8]