GENEVA - Excessive use of force, violence and mass arrests are not appropriate responses to a social protest movement in a State governed by the rule of law, UN experts* said today, referring to nationwide marches in France.
"We are appalled by the level of violence suffered by pupils and students demonstrating across France to demand what is long overdue: a functioning education system, decent material conditions for education, appropriate school and university timetables and territorial and social equality in access to quality education, in particular," the experts said. "These demands have long been highlighted by teachers."
Since mid-September 2026, a movement, first among high school students and then also with the participation of university students, has been gaining momentum in France. Although authorities launched several initiatives to facilitate dialogue and respond to students' 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.
"Implementing the right to education is an international obligation, requiring in particular, the mobilising of the maximum available resources," they said.
"The serious and, in some cases, irreversible injuries sustained by underage demonstrators during law enforcement operations are unacceptable and unjustifiable," the experts said.
"Whilst investigations, notably those conducted by the General Inspectorate of the National Police, are essential, so too are clear instructions from superiors and a political stance that firmly and unequivocally condemns all police violence," they said.
The experts recalled past discussions with France, which urged 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.
"We regret that police officers have been injured, and that numerous buildings have been damaged and shops vandalised. We condemn these acts of violence. Measures are needed to investigate them and bring perpetrators to justice."
"However, the 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," the experts said.
The experts are in contact with French authorities on the issue.
