Police fired tear gas in Paris and other parts of France on Tuesday as more than 260,000 people took part in nationwide demonstrations demanding greater funding for education, according to government figures. The protests, which included high school students, teachers, parents and other supporters, added pressure on the administration of outgoing President Emmanuel Macron. The demonstrations have grown from school blockades that began in the Paris region in mid-September into a broader movement spanning cities across the country. The Interior Ministry estimated that 266,000 people participated in demonstrations nationwide, including around 56,000 in Paris.

Large crowds gathered in cities including Marseille and Strasbourg, carrying flags and placards in support of increased education funding. In Paris, the main march was largely peaceful before small groups of protesters clashed with riot police at a city square towards its conclusion. Officers used tear gas to control the crowds, while the authorities said police intervention was required when parts of the demonstrations became disorderly. Interior Minister Laurent Nunez defended the police response, saying it had been proportionate in “almost all cases”. He also said some demonstrations had at times turned into riots, requiring police intervention.

His comments came as the scale of the protests and the involvement of young students placed particular focus on the methods used by authorities to manage the demonstrations. Nearly 500 people were detained across France on Tuesday, according to the Interior Ministry, as police sought to contain incidents during the nationwide protests. The movement began at a high school in the Paris region in mid-September before spreading to other schools and cities. Students have been blockading high schools as part of their campaign for greater government support and funding for education. Tuesday's demonstrations represented a significant expansion of the movement, with large numbers of people joining rallies beyond the capital.

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The growing participation has turned a dispute centred on education into a wider demonstration of public pressure at a politically sensitive time for the French administration. The use of tear gas, arrests and other riot-control measures has become a source of anger among some parents and teachers, particularly because teenagers have been among those involved in the protests. Supporters of the students argue that young people should be heard on decisions affecting their education and future. “We need to listen to them,” Lea Monimart, an adult demonstrator in the northern city of Lille, said while expressing support for the students. She argued that although many of the protesters were only 17, they understood the issues and deserved to be taken seriously.

The protests are also the latest in a series of demonstrations that have marked Macron's nearly decade-long tenure and come as his administration faces mounting political pressure. Student groups have already called for further demonstrations on Thursday, indicating that Tuesday's mobilisation may not mark the end of the movement. For the government, the challenge now lies in addressing the education funding demands while managing protests that have drawn hundreds of thousands of people into the streets. With school blockades continuing and tensions rising around police tactics, the demonstrations are likely to remain a significant issue for the outgoing administration in the days ahead.

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