Reports: rallies across France back students; turnout estimates range from 161,500 to 480,000

French President Emmanuel Macron urged restraint from protesters on Monday, 12 October 2026. France 24 quoted him as saying the issues "deserve time, consultations, discussion and respect".

On Tuesday, 13 October, rallies were held across France in support of high school students protesting school conditions, according to France 24, Al Jazeera and Daily Sabah. The three reports closely match in wording. France 24 credits AFP, and Daily Sabah cites AFP journalists; no wire credit appears in the Al Jazeera report reviewed by Vocemundi.

The interior ministry put nationwide turnout at about 161,500, according to the reports. That is more than double the 71,500 it gave for nationwide demonstrations on Thursday of the previous week. Two marches were held in Paris; the ministry said 41,500 people took part in one of them. Thousands also marched in cities including Nantes, Lyon, Strasbourg, Toulouse, Bordeaux and Marseille, according to police.

Most demonstrations were peaceful, the reports say. Violence occurred on the sidelines of that Paris march. AFP journalists saw some cars set on fire. They also saw police fire tear gas as masked youths tried to build barricades and threw objects. Tear gas was also fired in Lyon, according to France 24 and Daily Sabah. The reports do not include arrest or injury figures for these clashes.

The movement began last month, when lycée students blocked many school entrances to demand better classroom conditions. Police have opened investigations into 34 allegations of violence against demonstrators. France 24 and Daily Sabah report injuries to three teenagers. One lost a hand after picking up a police stun grenade. Another lost an eye. A third lost teeth when an officer fired a tear gas canister in his face. The reports do not say who reported these injuries or whether they are among the 34 investigations.

The education ministry said about 147 teaching staff have been injured and 214 schools were closed on Tuesday. After the previous week's protests, the government pledged 3,000 substitute teachers for the 114 worst-affected schools.

What is disputed

Turnout. The interior ministry said about 161,500 people took part. Unions helping organise the rallies said 480,000. The reports do not explain how either figure was calculated.

What each side says

Protesting students demand action on absent teachers, dilapidated buildings and overcrowded schedules. They have dismissed the substitute-teacher pledge and say they will continue. France 24 quoted Emeline, 16, outside a Marseille school, as saying: "We need real measures and proper dialogue, not repression." The reports say what many see as a heavy-handed police response drew more people to Tuesday's rallies. The institutional response cited in the reports is the opening of police investigations into 34 allegations of violence; they carry no further comment from police or the interior ministry. The university student union L'Union Etudiante says 90 percent of universities closed in support. Unions and student groups say they see the school protests merging with cost-of-living demonstrations planned for Saturday. The far-left party France Unbowed (LFI) backed the rallies.

Analysis

The protests come at a sensitive time for the government. According to the reports, Macron's centrist government is struggling to pass a cost-cutting budget amid worsening public debt, and France votes for his successor in about six months. If the school protests and Saturday's cost-of-living demonstrations do merge, as unions and student groups say they expect, pressure on the government could grow. Another possibility is that new measures or dialogue reduce tensions. The outcome of the 34 police investigations may shape public trust. The reports reviewed by Vocemundi closely match in wording, and only France 24 explicitly credits AFP, which suggests a shared origin; independent accounts would help clarify disputed figures and events.

Produced by the Vocemundi newsroom with AI assistance.