Thousands of students protest in France

LYON, France (NBC, KYMA) - Tens of thousands of demonstrators marched in cities across France Tuesday, in the biggest day of action in support of protests by school students demanding more education funding, increasing pressure on the government of outgoing President Emmanuel Macron.

As students again blockaded high schools, large crowds waving flags and placards gathered in Marseille, Strasbourg, Lyon and other cities.

The demonstrations showed how protests that began at a high school in the Paris region in mid-September have grown into a nationwide movement the latest of many that have marked President Macron's nearly decade-long tenure.

The Interior Ministry estimated that 86,000 people took part in demonstrations outside Paris Tuesday morning.

More were gathering in the capital for a protest scheduled for the afternoon.

More than two weeks of class boycotts and school blockades, and policing that has led to more than 6,100 arrests, mostly of minors, have become a flashpoint in the early days of the presidential election campaign.

The teenage protesters have struck a chord amid widespread discontent in France.

Frustrations extend beyond immediate difficulties, such as fuel prices that have soared because of the Iran war, to broader concerns about constraints on public spending.

Rising poverty and wealth inequality under macron, who cannot run for a third consecutive term.

Against that backdrop, students' complaints that education funding shortfalls are endangering their futures have found a sympathetic audience.

Students have drawn attention to rundown classrooms that lack basics such as desks and chairs, become sweltering in summer without air conditioning and, in some cases, are infested with rats.

Other common complaints include staff shortages and exhausting workloads. French high school students' compulsory classroom hours are among the highest in Europe.