The key facts

  • More than 480,000 people protested on Tuesday; over half a million participants are expected on Saturday.
  • One teenager lost an arm, more than 6,800 young people were detained by police, and 147 education staff were injured.
  • Amnesty International denounced a 'disproportionate' use of force, and the UN called for de-escalation.

Scale of the protests

Protests by school and university students, as well as teachers, have been ongoing in France since September. Participants point to staff shortages, poor condition of school infrastructure, faulty equipment, as well as deeper anxieties — shrinking prospects and a cost-of-living crisis. On Tuesday, according to an inter-union coalition of high schools and universities, more than 480,000 people took to the streets with placards reading 'Our schools, like our hopes, are crumbling' and 'Graduates today, destitute tomorrow.' A new nationwide mobilization is scheduled for Saturday, in which more than half a million people are expected to take part.

Violence and detentions

Since the start of the movement, incidents of violence have been recorded: one teenager lost an arm, and more than 6,800 young people were temporarily detained by police. According to the government, 147 staff members of the national education system were injured, and investigations into nearly 40 alleged cases of unlawful use of force by police against demonstrators have been opened.

Omar Sy: 'Outrageous'

Actor Omar Sy, known for the films 'The Intouchables,' Jurassic World: Dominion and the Netflix series 'Lupin,' spoke on France Inter. He criticized the authorities' actions and called first of all for listening to students' demands. 'These are our children, this is the future of our country, addressing a nation that has completely lost its bearings,' Sy said. Condemning the violence surrounding the protests, he added: 'When I see that there is no response to any of this and that the first reaction is an attempt to silence them, beat them, or even push them into some kind of childish brawls against each other, I find it monstrous.' According to him, adults, instead of listening to young people, 'tell them to shut up, and then expect them to sort things out among themselves.'

Support from other public figures

Sy joined a number of celebrities who have backed the protests: climate activist Greta Thunberg, NBA star Victor Wembanyama, singer Luan, and actor Vincent Lindon, who starred in the recent screen adaptation of Victor Hugo's 'Les Misérables.' In an interview with Le Parisien, Lindon said: 'These are young people who simply want chairs to sit on […] normal, functioning restrooms and a fair distribution of resources — and therefore of opportunities.' He added that this is 'one of the first times the younger generation is quite justifiably asserting its demands and rights before a state that today lacks the means to buy social peace.'

Human rights groups' reaction

The police actions have also drawn criticism from human rights organizations: Amnesty International denounced a 'disproportionate' use of force, while the UN Human Rights Office expressed concern and called for de-escalation.