UN experts condemn police force in French student protests amid mass arrests

United Nations experts have criticised the French authorities over what they described as the excessive use of force against nationwide student protests. In a statement on Wednesday, the experts said the scale of arrests and detention, affecting several thousand people and mainly minors, appeared disproportionate and risked discouraging peaceful assembly. The protests have been continuing since mid-September and have spread beyond school-related grievances to wider anger over the cost of living.

The experts said the response had been too heavily focused on security, even though authorities had launched several initiatives in October to try to open dialogue with students. Among those quoted were Gina Romero, the special rapporteur on the freedom of peaceful assembly, and Farida Shaheed, the UN expert on cultural rights. They said the root causes of the mobilisation had been sidelined by the policing approach.

French authorities said 70,000 security personnel were deployed during demonstrations on Saturday, when 410,000 protesters took part nationwide and 1,000 people were arrested. A week earlier, public buildings were vandalised, hundreds of businesses were looted and 2,700 people were arrested, according to the Interior Ministry. Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said he would be "extremely vigilant, extremely firm" in response to further unrest.

The protests began over conditions in high schools, where students complained about deteriorating buildings, overcrowded classrooms and teacher absences. They later broadened into a wider expression of frustration over living costs and government policy. Analysts have linked the unrest to a severe fiscal crisis and planned budget cuts that have contributed to a fall in the education budget.

The scale of the demonstrations has made the unrest a significant domestic challenge for the government. The involvement of large numbers of young people has also drawn attention to the handling of minors during policing operations. The UN statement adds international scrutiny to a dispute that is already testing the authorities' ability to balance public order with the right to protest.

What remains unclear is whether the government will adjust its approach after the latest criticism or continue with a security-led response. It is also not clear how many of those detained remain in custody or what follow-up measures may be taken in response to the protests. The next developments are likely to be shaped by whether dialogue efforts can address the underlying grievances that have kept the demonstrations going since September.

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