Police violence denounced by staff at the Joliot-Curie high school in Nanterre

They placed themselves between the police and the students. During the high school mobilization days, Wednesday and Thursday, in front of the Joliot-Curie high school in Nanterre, many adults formed a cordon to protect the young people. According to staff at the establishment, the police then moved forward “without warning or any form of communication”. In a press release dated October 2, they denounced “disproportionate” interventions and spoke of “police violence”.

They first mention, for the first day, defense ball launchers “directly aimed at the students and adults present”. They had asked that no police be present near the high school the next day.

A student violently arrested

But according to them, a line of police officers equipped with telescopic batons, shields and defensive bullet launchers took up position on the avenue facing the teenagers. “While everyone was still”, the police allegedly advanced “at walking pace, shields forward”, and charged the adults. An elected official from the town hall was allegedly “bludgeoned several times” and a police officer placed his forearm on a teacher’s throat “so that he would back away”. Staff also report insults and threats, such as “it’s you I’m going to hit” or “bunch of sluts”.

Still according to this press release, BRAV-M vehicles were also deployed behind the high school students, causing “terrified crowd movements”. A minor high school student was allegedly arrested in a “very violent” manner; he found himself pinned to the ground by two police officers, one of whom sat on him.