Summary
There is "no place for violence", French President Emmanuel Macron says, as protesters clash with police across France over falling education standards and the cost of living
About 550,000 people have taken part in the protests, according to Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez. French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu says 1,200 people have been arrested
Many of the buildings have been smashed into, and we've seen some protesters looting and throwing glass bottles, our reporter in Paris writes
In Limoges, firefighters are battling a blaze at the city hall, which Nuñez says has been set on fire
French MP Clémence Guetté, from the left-wing party La France Insoumise, says the government's response "provokes" the protesters and "makes the situation degenerate"
It follows three weeks of student-led protests across the country, with calls for workers' unions and key figures from the "yellow vest" movement to join the students
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Watch: Protesters throw flare at police in Parispublished at 11:57 BST 17 October
'This violence must stop' - what France's politicians have been sayingpublished at 11:51 BST 17 October
Image source, ReutersFrench President Emmanuel Macron has appealed for "calm" ahead of today's protests, saying he believes in the right to protest but calling on demonstrators to show "respect for people and property".
Earlier this week, his spokeswoman said Macron had concerns that "legitimate" concerns were being "exploited" by political forces.
France's Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu suggested this week that student anger was being manipulated by France's left-wing La France Insoumise party.
"Members of [Mélenchon's] France Insoumise are instrumentalising the high school movement for their electoral advantage," Lecornu said on Wednesday, accusing them of encouraging protests.
Following a visit to a vandalised school on Thursday, Education Minister Édouard Geffray appealed to protesters that "violence must stop" and that "only dialogue" will resolve the matter.
Jordan Bardella, the president of France's hard-right National Rally, said he was "worried" ahead of the protests, according to comments cited in French media, saying it was an "opportunity for the chaotic France to rally behind Jean-Luc Mélenchon", the leader of La France Insoumise.
We are yet to hear from Mélenchon himself, who has been a prominent older face among the students at rallies over the past few weeks. His party has shared details of today's demonstrations on social media.
Police also deploy tear gas on protesters in Marseillepublished at 11:42 BST 17 October
We're now seeing images from Marseille, France's second-largest city, where protesters are clashing with police.
Photos show what appears to be tear gas and smoke in the area, with some protesters dressed in dark clothes and face coverings.
Image source, Getty Images
Image source, Getty Images
Image source, Getty Images
Image source, Getty ImagesPolice fire tear gas as protesters climb Paris monumentpublished at 11:34 BST 17 October
Adina Campbell
Reporting from ParisPolice have fired tear gas to try to stop more people climbing the 25m (82ft) statue here at the Place de la République.
Protesters are hyped up and we’re hearing constant chants calling for President Macron to resign, and anti-far-right screams too.
Image source, ReutersWhy have students in France been protesting?published at 11:30 BST 17 October
Image source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Protesters clash with police in Paris earlier this week
Student protests in France have seen hundreds of thousands take to the streets since they began late last month.
Protesters have been demanding additional investment in their schools, criticising the lack of teachers and staff, overcrowded classrooms and run-down buildings.
Students have barricaded entry to schools across the country, forcing hundreds to close, with the protesters showing no signs of backing down from their demands.
Hundreds of new demonstrations have been planned across France today, with tens of thousands of protesters, including students, teachers and pensioners, expected to turn out.
One of the leading organisations behind the protests, secondary school student union the Union Syndicale Lycéenne (USL), has stated the protests are necessary to force action.
Earlier this week, French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu complained that protests no longer resembled a student movement but a "movement of urban violence".
In pictures: Stand-off between police and protesters in Parispublished at 11:23 BST 17 October
Pictures show clashes between police and protesters in Paris this morning.
A police source told French news agency AFP that authorities estimated nearly 40,000 could take part in cost-of-living demonstrations in Paris, with 200,000 potentially taking part across France as a whole.
Image source, ReutersImage caption, Masked protesters face off with French riot police
Image source, ReutersImage caption, Riot police walk with paint-splattered shields near Gare du Nord
Image source, ReutersImage caption, Protesters at the Place de la République holding French and Palestinian flags
Paris police say 40 arrests already madepublished at 11:18 BST 17 October
Police in Paris say they had already made 40 arrests by 09:30 local time (08:30 BST).
These were "primarily for carrying weapons or prohibited protective gear", they say in an update on X.
Tens of thousands are expected to turn out onto the streets of Paris in protest today, with widespread demonstrations also taking place across the rest of the country.
Police say "enhanced checks" are being carried out "to prevent risks and ensure everyone's safety".
Boos and chants from young protesters at Place de la Républiquepublished at 11:12 BST 17 October
Adina Campbell
Reporting from ParisWe’ve already heard boos and chanting by some of the young protesters here.
Large-scale security measures are visible at the Place de la République.
Roads have been cordoned off, some metro stations are shut and there is a high police presence.
Officers in riot gear are in a ring holding shields, surrounding the hundreds of students who are gathering in this square.
Clashes across France as protesters take to streets with 'convergence of demands'published at 11:09 BST 17 October
Katie Williams
Live reporter
Image source, ReutersImage caption, Protesters face off with police near Gare du Nord in Paris
Dozens have been arrested in Paris this morning as police and protesters clash in widespread demonstrations across France.
Footage already shows flares being thrown in the capital, while images from Marseille appear to show tear gas being deployed.
Tens of thousands are expected to take to the streets as trade unions, students and "yellow vests" come together to protest rising fuel prices, the cost of living and deteriorating public services, including schools.
"It's a convergence of demands and social classes," one high-school student told Reuters yesterday.
The yellow vests - one of today's key organising movements - previously demonstrated against cost-of-living hikes for over a year in 2018.
Their website shows hundreds of planned demonstrations across the country today and calls for support from farmers, workers, climate marchers and retirees.
These latest demonstrations follow weeks of student protests across France over classroom conditions. Clashes between police and demonstrators have at times turned violent, with one 15-year-old boy's hand being blown off earlier this month.
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