UN experts sound alarm at excessive use of force in French student protests

Live Click here to searchsearchSign upNavigation menucaret-left caret-rightNews|ProtestsUN experts sound alarm at excessive use of force in French student protestsUN experts have condemned police crackdowns, warning they deter demonstrators from exercising their rights.

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O governo francês está se escondendo atrás de uma narrativa de ‘riots’.

They included Gina Romero, special rapporteur on the freedom of peaceful assembly, and Farida Shaheed, the UN expert on cultural rights.

France has seen ongoing student protests since mid-September, sparked initially over conditions in high schools, where young people complained about the deteriorating buildings, overcrowded classrooms and teacher absences.

Students have also joined nationwide demonstrations to express anger over the rising cost of living, which led to riots and looting on the sidelines.

The French government deployed 70,000 security forces and arrested 1,000 people during demonstrations on Saturday, which drew 410,000 protesters nationwide, France’s Interior Ministry said.

Uma semana antes, prédios públicos foram vandalizados, centenas de estabelecimentos foram saqueados e 2,700 pessoas foram detidas, com o Ministro do Interior Laurent Nunez prometendo ser “extremamente vigilante, extremamente firme” para conter futuros distúrbios.

Analysts say the French government has struggled to address students’ demands due to a severe fiscal crisis and planned budget cuts, which have led to a drop in the country’s education budget.

French authorities have been criticised for their approach to security during some of the protests, and in one case a teenager in the northern city of Lille lost a hand when a grenade exploded as school protesters clashed with police.

The statement added: “The experts recalled past discussions urging French authorities to undertake a comprehensive review of their policing strategies and practices in order to enable demonstrators to express their concerns and to facilitate a peaceful resolution of social conflicts.”.

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