Amnesty urges France to de-escalate as student protests spread

Paris,
Amnesty International has urged French authorities to halt what it calls a “disproportionate” police response to student protests across the country.
“As students and young people prepare to take to the streets across France, the authorities must ensure their safety and protect and facilitate their right to peaceful assembly,” said Anne Savinel-Barras, head of Amnesty International France. She said any police response must be lawful, necessary and proportionate, and that force should not be used unnecessarily or excessively. Videos from the past week, she added, “raise worrying concerns” over the use of tear gas, batons and restraint techniques. Tear-gas grenades were reportedly fired recklessly, and rubber bullets caused serious injuries. “The priority must be de-escalation,” she said.
Education Minister Édouard Geffray said 190 students have been injured since the protests began in the Paris region in mid-September over conditions in schools. Demonstrations continued nationwide on Monday, affecting 589 educational institutions. A judicial source cited by BFMTV said 5,060 people have been detained since the movement began, 87% of them minors.
The French Human Rights League accused law enforcement of a general “departure from the rule of law” and of failing to respect legal standards when dealing with protesters. The national police inspectorate has opened five investigations into incidents linked to the protests.
Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu is trying to defuse the crisis. He has put forward five proposals and called for decisions before the end of October. Students are demanding more resources, better school maintenance, smaller classes and concrete measures to address staff shortages.