Gironde: mortar fire, use of tear gas, injuries... High school demonstrations degenerate

The prefecture describes “new unacceptable violence” as part of the high school student protest movement in Gironde. In a press release, published Tuesday evening, state services denounced the diffusion of tear gas by demonstrators in the hall of the Fernand-Daguin high school in Mérignac, then used by students and teachers. Three minors were arrested by the police for this “endangering” the lives of others. At the Pape-Clément high school in Pessac, fireworks were set off inside the establishment by the protesters. Faced with the dangerous nature of such behavior, the prefecture took the decision to close this school this Wednesday.

The demonstrators from the Elie-Faure high school in Lormont distinguished themselves by firing fireworks near their school. Three young people were slightly injured during these incidents. Prefect Sophie Brocas recalls that the right to demonstrate must be exercised while respecting public order. “Disciplinary proceedings will be initiated against troublemakers, as well as against public officials who, in violation of their statutory obligations, participate in or encourage illicit acts,” indicates its press release.

This firmness echoes the declarations of Sébastien Lecornu, who tightened the screws this Tuesday by announcing a “systematic judicialization of violent acts”. While 98% of high schools in France have resumed classes, 2% of them remain disrupted by the movement. Since the start of the demonstrations, which began on August 31 in Mayotte, the National Education services have counted 609 injured, including 364 students and 245 staff members, including 81 heads and deputy heads of establishments. As for the police and gendarmerie forces, 1,190 people were injured in the exercise of their duties. Representatives of National Education denounce a climate of “intense violence”, with “very serious facts” which “clearly fall within the scope of urban violence”.