UN experts say they are 'dismayed' by the 'repression' of student protests in France

Experts commissioned by the UN were outraged by the French government's response to the social protest movement which has shaken France for several weeks. Reporting to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, four special rapporteurs published a press release on October 28 to deplore the fact that the security response had taken precedence over the root causes of the mobilization. The NGO Amnesty International also spoke out on what it describes as “authoritarian abuses”.

“Unacceptable and unjustifiable”

“Excessive use of force, violence and mass arrests are not appropriate responses to a social movement of protest in a rule of law,” these experts stated in particular. They say they are "dismayed by the level of violence suffered by high school and university students who are demonstrating throughout France to demand what is owed to them for a long time: an education system that works, dignified material conditions of education, adapted school and university schedules, and territorial and social equality in access to quality education, in particular."

Since mid-September, a mobilization movement involving first high school students and then also students has gained momentum in France. “The serious and, in some cases, irreversible injuries suffered by minor demonstrators during law enforcement operations are unacceptable and unjustifiable,” noted the experts, mandated by the UN Human Rights Council but who do not speak on behalf of the organization.

A “disproportion” singled out

The rapporteurs underline that the French authorities “initiated several initiatives in October to facilitate dialogue and respond to the requests of high school students and students”. But “the priority given to a primarily security response to the demonstrations has led to the root causes of the mobilization being relegated to the background,” said these experts, including the special rapporteur on the right to peaceful assembly and freedom of association Gina Romero and the special rapporteur on the right to education Farida Shaheed.

“We regret that police officers were injured, numerous buildings damaged and businesses vandalized. We condemn these acts of violence. Measures are necessary to investigate these facts and bring the perpetrators to justice,” they said. “However, the scale of the arrests and police custody, which affects several thousand people, mainly minors, appears disproportionate and has the consequence of dissuading the exercise of freedom of expression and peaceful assembly of demonstrators”, they concluded, after calling for a clear and “unequivocal” position to denounce “police violence”.

An authoritarian shift for Amnesty

In the process, it is the turn of the NGO Amnesty International, specializing in human rights, to express its opinion in the same state of mind. She mentions seven points of alert on a “slide towards authoritarian practices”. In a long article published on October 29, the association lists the criteria which, according to it, are characterized in France: “attack the press, crush dissent, exploit technologies, govern by fear, create an enemy, exploit inequalities, eliminate counter-powers”.

According to Amnesty, this “drift” is part of a global trend. Citing the United States, Milei’s Argentina or Meloni’s Italy, in all cases it is a “state of law in a state of alert” that is designated. “France is no longer sheltered from this global trend.” The concentration of the media, the arrests of minors, algorithmic video surveillance or even a “security escalation” in legislation are among the illustrations, according to the NGO, of the increase in these “authoritarian practices”.