France school protests hit biggest day yet as Macron calls emergency meeting

France's student protest movement reached its largest day yet on Tuesday, with the Interior Ministry counting 256,000 demonstrators nationwide and organizers claiming 450,000. What began in the middle of September as high school students blockading their schools over crumbling buildings and teacher shortages has become a national movement, with parents, teachers, and unions marching alongside teenagers in Paris, Marseille, Strasbourg, and dozens of other cities.

The day turned violent at the edges. Riot police fired tear gas and water cannon in Paris, Marseille, and elsewhere as masked protesters threw stones and fireworks. The Interior Ministry said 488 people were arrested Tuesday and 43 members of the security forces were wounded. More than 6,500 people have been detained since the protests began. Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu called them the most violent student demonstrations in decades: about 215 teenagers, 85 staff members, and more than 700 police officers have been injured in recent clashes, and roughly 3,700 high schools, more than half the country's lycées, are closed.

The injuries are severe and politically toxic. A teenager lost a hand on Monday after police fired a sting ball grenade. A 14 year old in northwest Paris was hit in the face with a tear gas grenade at such close range that he lost several teeth; a policeman was charged on Tuesday over that incident. Rights groups and unions accuse the authorities of using disproportionate force against minors. Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said the police response had been proportionate in "almost all cases."

President Emmanuel Macron convened an emergency meeting Tuesday night with Lecornu and the interior and education ministers. Lecornu urged demonstrators to protest peacefully, told parliament there was zero tolerance for violence, and said the government must listen to the students' concerns. A student union spokeswoman told the BBC the movement will "amplify even more until we get our demands."

This is the escalation of the story this site reported on October 2, when tear gas first clouded Strasbourg and the arrests stood near 5,000. A week later the crowds are five times larger, the schools are half closed, and the president is holding emergency meetings. The students' grievances have not changed. What has changed is the country's willingness to look away.