The United Nations said on Friday that it is following France’s high school protests “with concern” as coordinated national demonstrations enter their fifth day.
Since mid-September nearly 7,000 protesters, most of whom are minors, have been taken into police custody, the ministry of justice said. Follow our liveblog for the latest updates.
More than 6,800 people, 86 percent of whom are minors, have been taken into police custody since the high school protests began in mid-September, according to the judicial report on violence related to the protests released on Friday by the ministry of justice.
Of these, 21 people have been jailed the report said and are currently 2,376 people are facing charges, 65% of whom have been brought before a judge.
Some 21 pretrial detentions have been ordered, involving 15 adults and 6 minors, the ministry said.
The United Nations has said it is watching “with concern” school protests in France that have resulted in thousands of youngsters being arrested and several seriously injured.
“We are following with concern incidents related to the student protests and high school blockades in France, some of which have turned violent,” said Shabia Mantoo, spokesperson for the UN human rights agency, urging people on all sides to ensure they remain peaceful.
Police cleared a blockade at Assas university, France top law school, in central Paris on Friday morning, BFM TV showed, while nearby, elite engineering school Mines Paris was also disrupted by blockades.
The Institut Catholique, a private university known for being particularly conservative, said on its website it would switch to remote classes due to a blockade of its campus.
University students in the French capital also joined the protests.
The government decision to deploy 3,000 substitute teachers in high schools was “legitimising the violence” that has occurred on the fringes of high school protests over the past three weeks, said spokesperson for France’s far-right leader Marine Le Pen on Friday.
“It’s ‘you break it, you get it,’” Laurent Jacobelli told Cnews-Europe1.
“Does that mean that when you burn cars, when you attack police officers, you get something? … That’s legitimising violence,” he added.
Antoine Marie, postdoctoral researcher and lecturer at Sciences Po, speaks to FRANCE 24 about the political psychology behind France’s student protests and repeated accusations of police misconduct.
As France’s nationwide student protest movement continued on Thursday with more clashes between protesters and police, the education minister pldeged to deploy 3,000 substitute teachers “within the next hours” to help struggling high schools.
Some 141 high schools remain closed in France due to nationwide protests – less than 4% of the country’s 3,700 high schools – the ministry of education has said.
“More than 96% of high schools are open,” the ministry added in a press release.
On Thursday, it reported 157 closed schools.
Meanwhile, student organisations are calling for a “Phase V” of their protests next Tuesday as the government and youth representatives have agreed to continue negotiations.
