Tens of thousands of demonstrators took to the streets across France on Saturday, expanding a movement that began with student blockades over school conditions into a nationwide show of anger at the government's handling of inequality, the cost of living, and education. Protests were reported in at least 140 cities, according to The New York Times, with large marches in Paris and other major urban centers.
The demonstrations drew together a wide range of grievances. One protester identified as Agnes told Agence France-Presse that climate, economic, and equality problems have gone unaddressed for years. «For years we've had climate, economy, and equality problems,» she said, «but the government is not doing anything about it.» An 18-year-old student, Kamil Alahyan, cited a long list of motivations, including the coming 2027 elections, politicians who lie, and the ultra-rich accumulating more wealth over the past decade.
A 19-year-old protester named Lola told The Guardian that the cost of living and fuel prices were central concerns, along with violence against high school pupils who have been protesting for more teachers and decent learning conditions. «We are fighting because the cost of living is too harsh,» Lola said, «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.»
Saturday's events mark an expansion of a movement that started last month, when students blockaded their schools to protest staffing shortages, dilapidated buildings, and a widely criticized university application system. Student organizer Ryad Rani told AFP that the government is right to be worried. «The government is trembling and it's right to tremble because when the French people are angry, they never let up,» Rani said.
While many of the marches were peaceful, some protests turned violent in major cities including Lyon, Marseille, and Paris, according to AFP. A BBC report on Saturday said more than 270 protesters had been arrested nationwide. French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu accused «ultra-left groups» of inciting the violence and warned that the government would not be intimidated. «To those who clearly want to use these acts of violence as a 'warm-up' ahead of the presidential election, let me be clear: we will not be intimidated,» Lecornu wrote in a social media post. «No one will impose their political agenda through violence.»
Jean-Luc Mélenchon, leader of the left-wing France Unbowed party, criticized media coverage for focusing too heavily on isolated incidents of violence rather than the overwhelmingly peaceful nature of the demonstrations. «Crowds of people everywhere, calm and joyful everywhere when the police aren't around,» Mélenchon wrote in a social media post that included photos of peaceful marches from across the country, which he described as «images you won't see in the official media.»
The protests highlight mounting pressure on the French government as it confronts public frustration over purchasing power, public services, and perceived inaction on long-standing social problems. With the 2027 presidential election already casting a shadow over the political landscape, the breadth of Saturday's turnout — spanning more than 140 cities — signals that the movement has moved well beyond its origins in student-led school blockades and into a broader expression of discontent.