UN condemns mass arrests of secondary school pupils in France
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on Ghanaian Chronicle
UN experts have condemned the excessive use of force by French authorities against student protests, as well as arrests and detentions deemed disproportionate that affected several thousand people, mainly minors. The protests, sparked by conditions in secondary schools and later expanding to the cost of living, had continued since mid-September, according to the experts’ statement reported by Ghanaian Chronicle.
Four United Nations experts have condemned the arrests and detentions of several thousand people, mostly minors, during student protests in France. In a statement issued on Wednesday, they described the authorities’ response as disproportionate and warned of excessive use of force, Al Jazeera reports.
Student protests have been under way since mid-September. They began over conditions in secondary schools, including deteriorating buildings, overcrowded classrooms and a lack of teachers, before joining nationwide demonstrations against the rising cost of living. The experts said that the focus on security had pushed the causes of the protests into the background, despite dialogue initiatives launched in October.
On Saturday, the French government deployed 70,000 security personnel and arrested 1,000 people during demonstrations that drew 410,000 participants across the country. Signatories to the statement included Gina Romero, Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association, and Farida Shaheed, the UN expert on cultural rights.
