Madar (International) - Four experts mandated by the United Nations Human Rights Council on Wednesday, October 28, 2026, expressed alarm at the "excessive use of force" by French authorities in dispersing nationwide student protests, Al Jazeera and AFP reported.
"The scale of the arrests and detention, affecting several thousand people, mainly minors, appears disproportionate," said the experts, including Gina Romero, special rapporteur on the freedom of peaceful assembly, calling serious injuries suffered by underage protesters "unacceptable and unjustifiable".
France has seen student protests since mid-September, first over conditions in high schools and then over the rising cost of living. The Interior Ministry said 70,000 security forces were deployed and 1,000 people arrested on Saturday, when 410,000 people protested, after 2,700 arrests a week earlier.
A teenager in Lille lost a hand when a grenade exploded during clashes. The experts said they were in contact with French authorities.
