French riot police clashed with student protesters in Paris on Tuesday, using tear gas and water cannon and making arrests as demonstrations over school conditions continued across the country.
Police in formation moved against crowds as protesters scattered through clouds of tear gas. Some demonstrators threw canisters back towards police, while fireworks were set off and rubbish fires burned nearby.
The unrest came during a nationwide student-led protest movement that has lasted around three weeks. Students are demanding better school conditions, more staff and increased funding.
High school and university students were expected to march in Paris and other cities on Tuesday, with the demonstrations drawing support from teachers, parents and members of civil society.
Climate activist Greta Thunberg also joined students at Paul-Éluard high school in Saint-Denis, outside Paris, ahead of the planned march.
Speaking to local media on Tuesday, Thunberg said "I'm here because this is one of the places where it started. They have been going for almost three weeks now, students occupying the school and teachers striking in solidarity with them, which is an incredibly beautiful solidarity to see.
And again, the French students are now showing the world how we should be standing up and how we should be revolting against an extremely violent system, and they're leading by example” she added.
The protests have included blockades at schools across the country, with some demonstrations turning violent.
The protests are also unfolding as France investigates a separate shooting at a school near Marseille on Monday.
A 14-year-old pupil at Joseph Lakanal middle school in Aubagne shot and wounded two teachers with a hunting rifle that had been hidden in a guitar case.
A school supervisor disarmed the pupil before police arrived. The two teachers were taken to hospital, but their injuries were not life-threatening.
France’s anti-terror prosecutor said on Tuesday that it had taken over the investigation after authorities found the suspected pupil appeared to belong to the True Crime Community (TCC).
The prosecutor described the TCC as an online ecosystem that glorifies perpetrators of mass killings and, in some cases, incites extreme violence.
The pupil was detained and the investigation is continuing.
President Emmanuel Macron condemned violence surrounding the recent school protests and expressed support for the injured teachers, students and their families.
“I salute the composure and exemplary response of the educational team, which made it possible to avoid the worst,” Macron said on X.
Authorities have said there was no indication that Monday’s shooting was connected to the wider student protests.
Police union spokesperson Eddy Sid also said there was no apparent link between the shooting and demonstrations over understaffing and school funding.
There had been no blockade at the Joseph Lakanal school on the day of the shooting.
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