French Police Clash with Students in Paris Amid Budget Cut Protests
French police forces have clashed with a group of university students who were organizing a large-scale protest against budget reductions in higher education institutions.
On Thursday, riot police equipped with helmets, protective gear, and shields forcefully confronted students protesting in the streets of Paris.
Authorities intervened to halt the demonstrators’ progress, deploying tear gas to disperse students assembled in opposition to proposed budget reductions affecting France’s educational initiatives.
Video footage capturing the initially peaceful rally organized by Stand Up For Science France depicted a demonstration that erupted into violence. As tensions heightened, law enforcement responded by deploying riot police, who used batons in an effort to control the student protesters.
According to reports, the students began their demonstration by chanting slogans and carrying a cardboard representation of a Tesla car, adorned with a U.S. flag and bearing license plates that read “FUK-MSK.” This display was aimed at targeting Tesla’s owner, Elon Musk, as they made their way through the streets of Paris.
In a dramatic scene at Place de la Bastille, students set ablaze a cardboard effigy of a Tesla alongside an American flag draped over it. The demonstration escalated as smoke bombs were ignited and flares were hurled toward police officers stationed in the area.
Cedric Canton, who witnessed the incident, reported that there was a moment when riot police aggressively advanced and even struck several students.
