Cabinet told of 'concrete responses' due within weeks

Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, government spokeswoman Maud Bregeon relayed the president's verdict on the French student protests: the grievances of pupils whose mobilisation has closed many schools over three weeks are "legitimate", yet the movement is also being "exploited" by political forces. With six months left in his term, Macron wants his government to produce "concrete responses" to the high school unrest within weeks, she said.

Her remarks came out of Macron's weekly session with his cabinet, held the day after solidarity rallies across the country signalled strong backing for the students. There, she said, Macron "stressed that young people have legitimate concerns, but said these are being exploited for political purposes and turned into urban violence."

Tuesday's solidarity marches drew hundreds of thousands

The two counts of Tuesday's high school demonstrations France-wide sit far apart:

• •The interior ministry put attendance at the Paris rallies and those elsewhere at 161,500.
• •The unions behind the marches counted 480,000.

Paris and Lyon both saw trouble at the edges of the processions, and police used tear gas. Interior Minister Laurent Nunez added that close to 900 officers had themselves been hurt over the course of the protests.

Candidates weigh in ahead of next year's elections

The vote for the French presidency falls in April and May of next year, and several opposition parties have moved to claim the street movement. Jean-Luc Melenchon, running for the far-left France Unbowed (LFI) party, joined one of the Paris rallies. Marine Le Pen's far-right National Rally (RN) - the force polls place first - has backed the officers deployed at the demonstrations while holding the students responsible for the violent episodes.

Injured teenagers and legal action

Allegations of police brutality now come from students, unions, rights groups and parents, and some of the young demonstrators have been maimed. Among them is a 15-year-old whose hand was torn off by a police stun grenade; on Wednesday his family said they had gone to court to press for an "impartial" investigation into the boy's injury.

Family lawyer Bertrand Wattez said his client, Evan, disputes what prosecutors relayed from police - that he was reaching for the grenade when it detonated on October 5 - and denies having joined the protests in Lens. Wattez added that the blast cost Evan his left hand and several fingers of his right.

In Tours, a 16-year-old pupil lost his sight at a September 30 demonstration outside his school; his family holds the police responsible. The prosecutor for Tours said late Tuesday that the officer involved now faces an aggravated battery charge. The interior ministry counts 36 internal investigations opened into alleged officer violence against demonstrators.

Macron has given his government weeks to produce "concrete responses" to the unrest, while Evan's family carries on its legal bid for an "impartial" investigation.