France on the Streets: Teenagers Face Tear Gas in Paris Protest

Tue Oct 06 2026 22:50:04 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time)

Hundreds of thousands of students, parents and unions protest across France, sparking clashes with riot police in Paris, Lyon, Marseille and Rennes. Tear gas and water cannon were deployed.

Hundreds of thousands of students, parents and university groups have taken to French streets, demanding more school resources and less police repression. Teenagers marched from Paris’s Place de la République while protests spread to Lyon, Marseille and Rennes, where police used tear gas and water cannons. The BBC’s Nick Beake reports from Lille that the nationwide demonstrations have remained largely peaceful despite the heavy-handed response.

France on the Streets: Teenagers Face Tear Gas in Paris Protest

Hundreds of thousands of students, parents and unions have taken to the streets across France, demanding more resources for schools and less police repression. Teenagers marched from the Place de la République in Paris, stirring the city into a flurry of demonstrators and riot police.

The protest wave has spilled over into other major cities. In Lyon, clashes erupted between demonstrators and police, while in Marseille tear gas was deployed. Rennes saw the use of water cannon. The nationwide demonstrations, while largely peaceful, marked the sharpest confrontation since last year’s student protests.

BBC Europe Correspondent Nick Beake, on the scene in Lille, reports that the government is trying to negotiate with student unions while keeping a firm stance on public safety.

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The protests are expected to continue through the weekend, as student groups call for a nationwide review of educational policy and a cessation of police tactics considered too aggressive.