French Police Fire Tear Gas as School Protests Escalate, Officer Charged Over Injured Student

French police fired tear gas at protesters on Tuesday as nationwide demonstrations over deteriorating school conditions intensified, while a police officer was formally charged over the serious injury of a 14-year-old student during an earlier protest.

More than 250,000 people took part in demonstrations across France on Tuesday, according to the Interior Ministry, as students, teachers, parents and trade unionists joined the protests demanding better funding and improved conditions in schools. Organisers put the turnout at about 450,000.

The demonstrations, which began in the Paris region in September, have spread to cities across the country. Protesters have complained about teacher shortages, overcrowded classrooms, long school hours and deteriorating school buildings, including facilities struggling with high temperatures.

Although many demonstrations remained peaceful, clashes broke out in several cities. Police used tear gas and water cannons in places including Paris, Strasbourg, Rennes and Toulouse after some groups threw projectiles and set fires. Police said hundreds of protesters were arrested during Tuesday’s demonstrations.

The protests have also triggered growing scrutiny of police tactics, particularly following injuries to teenagers.

In the most recent legal development, a police officer was charged on Tuesday over the use of a tear-gas grenade that seriously injured a 14-year-old boy, identified as Eden, during a protest in Saint-Ouen-l’Aumône, northwest of Paris.

The teenager suffered multiple facial injuries, including the loss of several teeth and a fractured jaw, after the grenade was fired at close range. The officer has been placed under judicial supervision and barred from carrying out police duties while the investigation continues.

The prosecutor said the officer claimed he had used the weapon after the teenager resisted police and kicked an officer. However, prosecutors said the conditions for legitimate self-defence were not met, citing what they described as a lack of proportionality in the use of the launcher.

The incident is one of several involving alleged excessive police force during the protests. On Monday, a 15-year-old student in the northern town of Lens lost a hand and part of his lower arm after picking up a police grenade during a confrontation, according to reports.

French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu has acknowledged the scale of the unrest and said the government would work on measures addressing students’ complaints, including teacher shortages, school maintenance and the organisation of the school day.

The government has also come under pressure over the policing of the demonstrations. Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said police had opened 10 internal investigations into allegations of misconduct. The Education Ministry said 24 schools had been burned or ransacked since the movement began.

The scale of the unrest has grown rapidly. Authorities say more than 5,000 people have been arrested since the beginning of the movement, with the majority being minors, while hundreds of students, teachers and police officers have been injured.

The government faces the challenge of responding to the students’ demands while dealing with violence, damage to schools and growing concerns about the use of force against young protesters.

For now, the demonstrations continue to expose deep frustrations over France’s public education system, with students demanding improvements to the conditions in which they study and teachers work.