Amnesty Calls on France to De-escalate Student Protest Police Response
The rights organization called on authorities to protect young protesters while ensuring that their right to peaceful assembly is respected as demonstrations over education conditions continue.
"As children and young people prepare to take to the streets across France, authorities must ensure their safety and security and protect and facilitate the exercise of their right to demonstrate peacefully," Anne Savinel-Barras, head of Amnesty International France, said in a statement on Monday.
Amnesty said French authorities have obligations under international human rights standards and should ensure that policing measures comply with those responsibilities. The organization also called for an end to what it characterized as a “disproportionate police response” to the student mobilization.
"Any policing response must be lawful, necessary and proportionate, and authorities must avoid unnecessary and excessive use of force," Savinel-Barras noted.
The organization raised particular concerns over reports, video footage and testimonies concerning police conduct during demonstrations over the past week.
Footage and testimonies widely reported over the last week "raise alarming concerns about the dangerous use of tear gas, batons and restraint techniques by police," she said, adding that tear gas grenades have been discharged "recklessly," and rubber bullets have been fired causing serious injuries.
Amnesty said the priority should be preventing further escalation and reducing the likelihood of confrontations between demonstrators and police.
"The priority should be the de-escalation of tensions and authorities must take all available precautionary measures to avoid the need to use force," Savinel-Barras also said.
The protests have continued to expand, with French Education Minister Edouard Geffray announcing Monday that 190 students had been injured since the movement began in the Paris region in mid-September.
Geffray also said that 589 educational establishments were affected by the demonstrations on Monday, highlighting the extent to which the protests have disrupted schools and educational activities across the country.
Thousands of people have also been taken into custody since the beginning of the protest movement. According to a judicial source, 5,060 people had been placed in custody, with minors reportedly accounting for 87% of those detained.
The French Human Rights League has separately raised concerns about police conduct, accusing law enforcement authorities of a broader "drift away from the rule of law" and alleging that legal standards have not been properly respected during interventions involving protesting students.
French authorities have also opened investigations into incidents connected to the demonstrations. Five inquiries have been launched by the General Inspectorate of the National Police to examine reported incidents associated with the ongoing mobilization.
The protests have placed additional pressure on the French government as officials attempt to address students’ concerns while managing disruptions linked to the demonstrations.
Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu has sought to ease the crisis by presenting five proposals aimed at responding to the issues raised by students. He has also called for decisions on the measures to be reached before the end of October.
Students participating in the demonstrations are calling for increased funding for education, improved maintenance of school buildings and smaller class sizes. They are also demanding measures to address shortages of teaching and other education staff.
The dispute has therefore combined concerns over working and learning conditions with broader questions about public education funding and the treatment of young demonstrators during the protests.
With demonstrations continuing across France, rights groups are urging authorities to prioritize dialogue and precautionary measures while ensuring that any police response remains within legal and human rights standards.
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