Macron warns political exploitation as French student protests turn violent on Oct. 17
Violent clashes erupted across France on Saturday, October 17, as a fourth week of student protests turned into urban unrest, prompting the use of tear gas and water cannons by police in Paris’s Place de la République.
President Emmanuel Macron, speaking at a weekly cabinet meeting, said the unrest reflected “legitimate concerns” of young people but warned that those concerns were being “exploited for political purposes” and demanded that ministers devise concrete responses within weeks.
Police reported at least 272 arrests nationwide after demonstrators wearing hoods and masks hurled fireworks and other projectiles at officers. The interior ministry also noted assaults on police, looting, and damage to public buildings, and confirmed that 937 police officers and 149 teachers or school staff have been injured since the protests began.
Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu accused the student movement of being “instrumentalized by the allies of France Unbowed (LFI) … for electoral reasons,” while left‑wing LFI presidential candidate Jean‑Luc Mélenchon participated in a Paris protest the same week.
Opposition leader Marine Le Pen voiced support for law‑enforcement, blaming students for the violence, as the upcoming presidential election draws near.
The national police union Alliance Police Nationale filed a lawsuit against the government, alleging that contradictory orders left officers “betrayed, abandoned, left to fend for themselves.” The union also highlighted 36 internal investigations into alleged police misconduct during the demonstrations.
Student groups, unions, rights organizations, and parents have condemned what they describe as excessive force, while the government opened investigations into the allegations.
Protests have spilled over into neighboring Belgium, with hundreds of young people clashing with police in Brussels and Liège. Small solidarity events in Luxembourg and French‑speaking Switzerland remained peaceful, and similar student demonstrations occurred in India but were not linked to the French unrest.
Macron reiterated the constitutional right to protest, adding that it must be exercised with respect for people and property. He urged calm as schools nationwide remain closed until November 2 for the All Saints’ holiday, hoping the movement will subside in the coming days.
