Thousands march across France as police restrict protest routes

Thousands of students and workers marched across France on Saturday to demand better schools and relief from rising living costs, as authorities deployed tens of thousands of officers and restricted demonstrations after violence the previous weekend.

In Paris, several thousand people marched peacefully from Porte d’Italie toward Porte de Vincennes along the southeastern edge of the city. Police had replaced a planned route between Place de la Bastille and Place de la Nation, keeping the procession away from the center. Unions led the march, followed by students, teachers and other protesters carrying flags and handmade signs.

The route change drew criticism from demonstrators. “Changing a protest route at the last minute really gives the impression that the government wants to render the movement invisible,” Monica, a retired education worker who did not give her last name, told Al Jazeera. At Bastille, police warned people they could face a 135-euro ($150) fine if they did not leave, NBC News reported.

Local authorities also banned some rallies or barred them from central areas. Police used tear gas in Lyon, where a demonstration had been banned. In Clermont-Ferrand, officers used tear gas and stun grenades against demonstrators trying to reach the city center, according to French media reports cited by NBC News. Unions criticized the bans as violations of freedom of expression. President Emmanuel Macron has said the restrictions are needed to protect city centers, businesses and public buildings, NBC News reported.

Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said up to 70,000 police officers and gendarmes would be deployed nationwide. Al Jazeera reported that the force was 20% larger than the previous weekend’s and included the elite RAID unit in a supporting role, not direct crowd control. Police said early Saturday afternoon that they had arrested at least 135 people and seized weapons, while describing the situation at that point as calm.

Authorities were seeking to avoid a repeat of October 17, when more than half a million people took to the streets. Protests that were largely peaceful were followed by looting, vandalism and clashes. Al Jazeera, citing official figures, reported that more than 2,000 people were taken into police custody; NBC News reported that about 3,000 shops were damaged or looted over the weekend.

Businesses boarded up storefronts in Paris, and major museums, including the Louvre and Orsay Museum, closed Saturday. Art Basel Paris canceled its weekend program. Al Jazeera reported that at least 24 metro stations were closed at the request of the police prefecture.

The movement began in September with student protests over teacher shortages and school conditions. Student groups are seeking more teachers, school repairs and changes to Parcoursup, the university admissions system. According to NBC News, their demands also include 250,000 more higher-education places, an additional 200 euros a month in student grants and a freeze on rents in public student housing. The network cited government figures showing that public middle and high schools lost 15.4 million teaching hours in the 2024-25 school year because absent teachers were not replaced.

Macron met student representatives Friday and promised changes to university admissions, but they called for demonstrations to continue until concrete measures are announced. Separately, thousands marched peacefully in Orléans against the far right as Marine Le Pen’s National Rally held a party congress there.