Macron Orders 70,000 Officers as France Detains Over 10,000 Students

French President Emmanuel Macron has deployed 70,000 police officers across the country to manage a wave of student protests that have led to more than 10,000 detentions since September.

The government announced the massive security deployment on October 25, pledging to maintain order and potentially ban demonstrations. This move follows a week in which police arrested approximately 1,000 people, adding to the thousands already in custody.

Since the protests began in September, 7,950 individuals were placed in police custody by October 14. An additional 2,700 people were detained following demonstrations on October 17. Authorities reported that 85 percent of those in custody were minors. The scale of detention marks one of the most heavily policed protest movements in recent decades.

Violence during the demonstrations has resulted in severe injuries for several students. Fourteen-year-old Eden sustained a fractured jaw and lost teeth after being struck by a tear gas grenade. Sixteen-year-old Mael lost sight in one eye from a suspected rubber bullet impact, while fifteen-year-old Evan had a hand amputated by a stun grenade.

The demonstrations are driven by deteriorating conditions in France’s educational system. In the suburb of Sevran, students at Blaise Cendrars secondary school have reported water leaks, mold, and unusable toilets since 2024. In Pantin, windows at Marcelin Berthelot secondary school no longer open, leaving students without ventilation during heatwaves that can reach 40 degrees Celsius.

According to the education ministry, 20.2 million teaching hours were not delivered in state secondary schools during the 2024 to 2025 academic year. Of these missing hours, 15 million were lost because absent teachers were not replaced. French economist Lucas Chancel noted that government spending per student has declined by 20 percent since 2017.

Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu urged the political left to choose a side, framing the conflict as a choice between supporting the police or the protesters. Macron met with 20 students on Friday to discuss reforms to the university entrance platform, a move he presented as a response to their key demands.