France's police fire tear gas and water cannons as school protests sweep the country

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Riot police use a water cannon as they face students during a protest against under-resourced schools, in Rennes, western France, Tuesday. Jeremias Gonzalez/AP hide caption

PARIS — Police fired tear gas to control crowds in Paris and elsewhere in France on Tuesday as more than a quarter of a million people rallied nationwide to support school pupils demanding more education funding, according to government figures. The protests increased pressure on the administration of outgoing President Emmanuel Macron.

As pupils again blockaded high schools, large crowds waving flags and placards gathered in Marseille, Strasbourg 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 Macron's nearly decade-long tenure.

"We need to listen to them," said Léa Monimart, a demonstrator in the northern city of Lille. "They are 17 years old; they are not completely clueless, and they know what they are talking about. It's important to show that there are adults who support them."

The Interior Ministry estimated that 256,000 people took part in demonstrations across the country on Tuesday, including 56,000 in Paris, where small groups of protesters clashed with riot officers at a city square during a largely peaceful march through the city.

The widespread use of arrests, tear gas and riot-control weapons against teenagers is fueling defiance and angering some parents and teachers.

Riot police use a water cannon as they face students during a protest against under-resourced schools, in Rennes, western France, Tuesday. Jeremias Gonzalez/AP hide caption

Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said the police response had been proportionate in "almost all cases" and that the protests had at times turned into riots, requiring police intervention.

French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu said the government and school leaders must listen to students' concerns and find solutions.

Questioned in parliament on Tuesday about the protest movement, Lecornu denounced "ultra violence" threatening schools. Responding to criticism of police tactics, he pledged that any "accidents" would be investigated and described allegations that the police are racist as a "lie."

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.