Anger of high school students: What we know about the police intervention at the Paul-Eluard high school in Saint-Denis

The arrest of a student by plainclothes police officers on Thursday at the Paul-Eluard high school in Saint-Denis (Seine-Saint-Denis) provoked a major mobilization. Teachers and high school students denounced police violence and blamed the principal, who authorized the intervention in the establishment. Several hundred people gathered in front of the Saint-Denis police station to express their anger and demand the departure of the head of the establishment.

What happened at Paul-Eluard high school in Saint-Denis?

The incidents began Thursday morning, when students organized a new blockade in front of the high school, one of the most publicized establishments since the launch of the high school movement. According to staff interviewed by AFP, the police began “charging, gassing, insulting, hitting” young people, but also adults who were trying to protect them. The situation then became tense within the establishment itself.

According to several staff members, the principal summoned a student to his office before allowing the police to arrest him. Videos sent to AFP show plainclothes officers, at least one of whom wears a “police” armband, arresting a teenager while adults try to intervene. Some teachers also claim that colleagues were beaten during this intervention.

Why did the police intervene in the school?

The Paris police headquarters confirms that the BAC entered the establishment to arrest a student “perpetrator of an outrage”. She specifies that the intervention was carried out with the agreement of the head of the establishment. According to the prefecture, the police can legally enter a high school at the request of the principal or after obtaining his authorization.

In total, four people were arrested during the events. Two police officers were also injured, one after being punched in the face and the other kicked in the head.

Teachers and high school students denounce this intervention

The arrest provoked a strong reaction within the educational community. Thursday afternoon, students and teachers organized a sit-in in the establishment, demanding the resignation of the principal. The mobilization then moved in front of the Saint-Denis police station, where several hundred people gathered. “What happened in the management office is an absolute scandal,” denounced a professor, believing that a “total red line has been crossed.”

Among the demonstrators, several high school students expressed their concern. Bilal, 17, a final year student, said he no longer felt safe in his establishment. “It’s not the police who have a problem, but police officers within the police,” he explained to AFP.

What will happen after this event?

The protest could now have consequences on the functioning of the establishment. “We will not work again until the principal has resigned,” warns a teacher, who fears an increase in tensions.

All the news on the high school blockade