Indicates the type of a location. Location Type Defined by CCTVPLUS Indicates the role that a specific instance of a description takes among all descriptions. Description Role Defined by CCTVPLUS The role in the overall content stream. Part Role Indicates a kind of content rendition. Content Rendition Defined by CCTVPLUS CCTV Newscontent Co.,Ltd. CCTV Newscontent Co.,Ltd. All Rights Reserved. No access Chinese mainland CCTV Newscontent www.cctvplus.com +86-10-83949886 +86-10-63978447 contact@cctvplus.com 2026-10-07T22:23:56Z 2026-10-07T22:23:56Z 2026-10-07 2014-11-06T09:22:45Z China Central Television France Other Oct 6, 2026 France-School Protests Hundreds of thousands take to streets to join school protests across France Hundreds of thousands of people took to the streets across France on Tuesday in a show of solidarity with high school students who have been blocking their schools since mid-September to demand more funding for education. The French Ministry of the Interior put the figure at some 256,000 across the country, including 56,000 in Paris. However, organizers say the marches drew as many as 450,000 people, with 100,000 heading out in the capital city. In Paris, crowds of protesters gathered by landmarks, singing and cheering, holding aloft placards adorned with slogans and waving national flags, with some setting off flares, while police in riot gear were later brought in, creating a tense stand-off. Students have decried dilapidated schools, overcrowded classrooms, staff shortages and inequalities in the education system. "So, we're from a school, a pretty privileged high school in Paris. We're from a hotel management school, and we're also here to stand up for all those whose high schools are falling apart, all those who are short of several teachers, all those who start at 8:00 and don't finish until 18:00," said one of the young protesters. "The government doesn't want to employ teachers, and they want to suppress teachers. So, the students can't have their diploma because they can't pass their exams, because they don't have the teachers. And it's like they are lost and anxious," said another protester. "There are so many inequalities between schools from Paris and outside of Paris. We want simply to have good conditions in class," said another protester. The mass mobilization is said to have started fairly peacefully at the famous Place de la Republique in Paris, before crowds then marched down to Place de la Nation, where the protests became violent, with reports of clashes with police, who fired tear gas and water cannons. Two teenage girls were reportedly injured in the suburbs. Nationwide, close to 500 people were arrested on Tuesday amid violence on the fringes of the protests, according to the French Ministry of the Interior, taking the total number of arrests since the start of the movement to more than 6,500. Nearly 900 high schools, almost one-quarter of the country's total, were disrupted by Tuesday's large-scale protests, the French Ministry of National Education announced, while classes have been suspended from Wednesday through Friday to allow for a "period of internal democracy" with students, French Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu announced. Lecornu condemned what he called "an escalation of violence," saying that this break from classrooms will give time to teachers to facilitate a structured space for student mobilization. French/English/Nats Paris, France - Oct 6, 2026 (CGTN - No access Chinese mainland) 1. Various of protesters gathered, singing, cheering, holding flags, placards, flares 2. Various of police officers, protesters 3. Protesters holding national flag of France 4. SOUNDBITE (French) protester (name not given): "So, we're from a school, a pretty privileged high school in Paris. We're from a hotel management school, and we're also here to stand up for all those whose high schools are falling apart, all those who are short of several teachers, all those who start at 8:00 and don't finish until 18:00." 5. Protesters 6. SOUNDBITE (English) protester (name not given): "The government doesn't want to employ teachers, and they want to suppress teachers. So, the students can't have their diploma because they can't pass their exams, because they don't have the teachers. And it's like they are lost and anxious." 7. Various of police officers, protesters on street 8. SOUNDBITE (English) protester (name not given) (ending with shot 9): "There are so many inequalities between schools from Paris and outside of Paris. We want simply to have good conditions in class." 9. Various of protesters in stand-off with police officers