Teacher shortages, rising prices: What is driving France's fresh wave of protests?

Rising prices, anger over public services and growing frustration with economic conditions brought tens of thousands of people onto the streets across France on Saturday, but demonstrations in several cities descended into clashes, fires and vandalism.

Police fired tear gas and used water cannons to disperse protesters in Paris, while a tourist office in Lyon caught fire and buildings were damaged in Marseille.

The demonstrations, which began last month with student protests over teacher shortages and poor school facilities in the northern suburbs of Paris, have grown into a broader movement against the rising cost of living, public spending cuts and deteriorating living standards.

The French Interior Ministry said 272 people had been arrested by mid-afternoon following violent incidents involving hooded individuals in Paris, Marseille, Rennes, Toulouse and Angers.

In Paris, a car and a newspaper kiosk were set on fire at Place de la Republique as police moved to disperse protesters.

A large police presence was deployed across central Paris, particularly near the Champs-Elysees and the Arc de Triomphe, which were excluded from the routes of two authorised demonstrations.

In Lyon, France’s third-largest city, a tourist office caught fire, with smoke and flames seen rising from the building. In Marseille, shops and a municipal police station were damaged.

Some protesters also briefly entered the lobby of the city hall, while rubbish bins were set alight.

PROTESTERS CITE RISING COSTS, EDUCATION CONCERNS

The demonstrations have drawn people concerned about fuel prices, living costs, inequality and the quality of public services.

Protesters in high-visibility vests blocked roads in several locations, recalling the Yellow Vest movement that began in 2018 over fuel taxes before expanding into a broader campaign against economic hardship and inequality.

“We are fighting because the cost of living is too harsh, because the price of fuel is too high, because high school pupils are being violently attacked and hurt all over the country just for trying to protest and ask for more teachers and decent learning conditions,” said Lola, a 19-year-old protester in Paris, to Reuters.

Hundreds of demonstrations were planned across the country, with tens of thousands expected to participate. Labour unions and people who had taken part in previous protest movements also joined the mobilisation.

The Interior Ministry blamed the violence on what it described as the “ultra-left”, citing attempted looting, confrontations with law enforcement, fires involving street furniture and attacks targeting public institutions and media outlets.

POLICE RESPONSE FACES SCRUTINY

The protests have renewed scrutiny of police tactics following injuries among demonstrators. The police watchdog is investigating at least two dozen allegations of police violence. France had suspended the use of stun grenades during student demonstrations, but Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said they could be used on Saturday.

Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu had previously said that more than 900 police officers had been injured in earlier protests.

President Emmanuel Macron urged calm on Friday as his presidency entered its final stretch amid political fragmentation and economic pressure. France’s efforts to reduce public debt have failed to reassure investors, pushing government borrowing costs to their highest levels in more than two decades.

The latest demonstrations reflect growing discontent over living costs, public services and economic conditions. Authorities continued to monitor the situation as clashes and property damage were reported across the country.

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With Reuters inputs