Why did public support for student protesters grow after the Night of the Barricades?

Public support for student protesters grew significantly following the Night of the Barricades on May 10–11, 1968, primarily due to the perceived brutality of the police response.1

During the confrontation, the CRS (national riot police) utilized tear gas and truncheons to attack students and bystanders, leaving the Latin Quarter in ruins. By the time the violence ended at dawn, hundreds of students had been arrested and hospitalized, along with many police officers. This heavy-handed use of force against the protesters—who had erected barricades for protection after being blocked from marching—transformed the movement from a localized university protest into a national crisis. The public, already sympathetic to the students' cause, reacted to the images of the bloody confrontation with increased support, which helped catalyze the largest general strike in French history as millions of workers joined the movement.1