{"id":12147,"date":"2026-10-28T23:25:04","date_gmt":"2026-10-28T23:25:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/?p=12147"},"modified":"2026-10-28T23:25:04","modified_gmt":"2026-10-28T23:25:04","slug":"un-experts-sound-alarm-at-excessive-use-of-force-in-french-student-protests-protests-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/?p=12147","title":{"rendered":"UN experts sound alarm at excessive use of force in French student protests | Protests News"},"content":{"rendered":"
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UN experts have condemned police crackdowns, warning they deter demonstrators from exercising their rights.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Published On 28 Oct 2026<\/span>28 Oct 2026<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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United Nations experts have expressed alarm at the \u201cexcessive use of force\u201d by French authorities in dispersing the recent nationwide student protests.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe scale of the arrests and detention, affecting several thousand people, mainly minors, appears disproportionate and deters demonstrators from exercising their freedoms of expression and peaceful assembly,\u201d the four experts, mandated by the UN Human Rights Council, said in a statement on Wednesday.<\/p>\n

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They included Gina Romero, special rapporteur on the freedom of peaceful assembly, and Farida Shaheed, the UN expert on cultural rights.<\/p>\n

\u201cAlthough authorities launched several initiatives to facilitate dialogue and respond to students\u2019 demands in October, the priority given to a primarily security-focused response to the protests has led to the root causes of the mobilisation being sidelined,\u201d the statement said.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

The French government deployed 70,000 security forces and arrested 1,000 people during demonstrations on Saturday, which drew 410,000 protesters<\/a> nationwide, France\u2019s Interior Ministry said. A week earlier, public buildings were vandalised, hundreds of businesses were looted and 2,700 people were arrested, with Interior Minister Laurent Nunez vowing to be \u201cextremely vigilant, extremely firm\u201d to quell future unrest.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat we are seeing right now is a general outburst of resentment against [French President Emmanuel] Macron and his policies that have destroyed our rights, destroyed our living conditions,\u201d Alice Cohen-Morzadec, a spokesperson for the Union Etudiante, told Al Jazeera<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Analysts say the French government has struggled<\/a> to address students\u2019 demands due to a severe fiscal crisis and planned budget cuts, which have led to a drop in the country\u2019s education budget.<\/p>\n

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Riot mobile gendarmes face protesters near Porte de Vincennes during a demonstration in Paris on October 24, 2026, as part of a nationwide call for mobilisation bringing together former members of the Yellow Vest movement, labour unions, high school and university students [AFP]<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Police response to protests<\/h2>\n

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<\/a> when a grenade exploded as school protesters clashed with police.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe serious and, in some cases, irreversible injuries sustained by underage demonstrators during law enforcement operations are unacceptable and unjustifiable,\u201d the UN rapporteurs said.<\/p>\n

The statement added: \u201cThe 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.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe experts are in contact with French authorities on the issue,\u201d the statement concluded.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

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UN experts have condemned police crackdowns, warning they deter demonstrators from exercising their rights. Published On 28 Oct 202628 Oct 2026 United Nations experts have expressed alarm at the \u201cexcessive use of force\u201d by French authorities in dispersing the recent nationwide student protests. \u201cThe scale of the arrests and detention, affecting several thousand people, mainly…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rop_custom_images_group":[],"rop_custom_messages_group":[],"rop_publish_now":"initial","rop_publish_now_accounts":{"facebook_2277560469115098_106292521332774":"","twitter_aToxNzczMzI3Njk4OTg4ODUxMjAxOw==_1773327698988851200":""},"rop_publish_now_history":[],"rop_publish_now_status":"pending","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_templately_pack_id":"","_templately_imported_at":"","_templately_source":"","_templately_import_session_id":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-12147","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","category-international-news"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t