France school protests: Students determined to win 'concessions that mean something'

Students, teachers, and parents marched in cities across France on Tuesday, in the largest day of action in a wave of demonstrations. Protesters blockaded hundreds of schools, demanding the government address understaffed and dilapidated classrooms. In Marseille, Nantes, and Lyon, peaceful protests began mid-morning, with Paris expected to see the largest demonstration in the afternoon.

Youngsters held smoke flares and placards reading "Under our school books, anger" and "Where are the politicians? Do they even know we exist?" These demonstrations came after a two-week protest movement that started in Paris's impoverished suburbs and spread nationwide. The government responded with riot police, claiming the movement had evolved into urban violence.

A teenager had his hand blown off during clashes with riot police in northern France on Monday. The High School Students Union reported that 1,800 high schools were blockaded or would close for the day. Education authorities in some areas attempted to move classes online. Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu pledged to address student demands, including replacing absent teachers, reviewing school hours, and addressing repairs to aging school buildings.

However, finding the necessary funds will be challenging. The protests have put pressure on a government struggling with a growing budget deficit, as concerns about France's rising debt, weak growth, and reluctance to curb spending push bond yields higher. Since the protests began, France's interior ministry reported 6,100 arrests, the vast majority of them minors.

Over 1,800 people are being prosecuted. Prime Minister Lecornu's government and Marine Le Pen, the far-right presidential candidate, have accused hard-left lawmakers and mayors of inciting the protests, to which the latter party responded with fiscal austerity plans.