School protests in France

160,000 demonstrated in France – unrest in Lyon

According to authorities, 160,000 people took part in Tuesday's demonstrations in France, reports *Le Parisien*. This is a significant increase compared to last week, when 71,500 people reportedly participated, according to TT.

Unrest reportedly broke out in the city of Lyon, where 11,000 people were participating.

"About halfway along the protest route, a group of several hundred hostile individuals within the march attacked street furniture, shops, and the police," authorities from the Rhône region told *Le Parisien*.

Reportedly, demonstrators threw stones and fired rockets. Police responded with water cannons and tear gas.

Analysis: Macron's absence during the protests is telling

French President Emmanuel Macron's absence during the school protests in France reflects more than just his failed attempts to resolve the country's economic and social problems, writes Mark Landler in *The New York Times*.

"It was a telling display of Macron’s priorities in a country where the president traditionally rises above the chaos of domestic politics."

The school protests are not the only demonstrations to have taken place in the country recently. Farmers have suffered from poor harvests, and rising fuel prices have contributed to growing discontent. “Money can often solve the problems, but the state is poor,” says SVT’s Ida Linde.

But those protesting right now simply want the school system to work, writes Le Monde’s Françoise Fressoz.

“Yet that demand has become almost revolutionary, given how poorly it has been received.”