UN rights experts have condemned the heavy-handed police crackdowns, warning that such actions deter demonstrators from exercising their fundamental rights.
Published On 28 Oct 2026
United Nations experts have expressed serious concern regarding the “excessive use of force” employed by French authorities to disperse recent nationwide student protests.
“The scale of arrests and detentions, affecting several thousand individuals—predominantly minors—appears highly disproportionate and acts as a significant deterrent to exercising the rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly,” stated four experts mandated by the UN Human Rights Council in a recent declaration.
The group of experts included Gina Romero, the Special Rapporteur on the freedom of peaceful assembly, and Farida Shaheed, the UN expert on cultural rights.
“While authorities introduced several initiatives to foster dialogue and address students’ demands in October, the predominant focus on a security-heavy response has effectively sidelined the underlying root causes of the mobilisation,” the statement noted.
Student protests have swept across France since mid-September, initially ignited by grievances over deteriorating school infrastructure, overcrowded classrooms, and frequent teacher absences. The demonstrations have since expanded to include broader public discontent over the rising cost of living, occasionally marred by incidents of rioting and looting on the sidelines.
According to the French Interior Ministry, the government mobilised 70,000 security personnel and made 1,000 arrests during Saturday’s nationwide demonstrations, which attracted 410,000 protesters. In the preceding week, widespread vandalism of public buildings and the looting of hundreds of businesses led to 2,700 arrests, prompting Interior Minister Laurent Nunez to vow remaining “extremely vigilant and extremely firm” to prevent further unrest.
“What we are witnessing today is a widespread outburst of resentment against President Emmanuel Macron and his policies, which have eroded our rights and severely compromised our living conditions,” declared Alice Cohen-Morzadec, a spokesperson for the Union Etudiante.
Analysts point out that the French government’s ability to address these student demands has been hampered by a severe fiscal crisis and planned budget cuts, resulting in a significant reduction in the national education budget.
Police Response to the Protests
French security authorities have faced heavy criticism for their handling of protest security, highlighted by an incident in Lille where a teenager lost a hand after a grenade exploded during clashes between student protesters and police.
“The serious, and in some case irreversible, injuries sustained by underage demonstrators during law enforcement operations are entirely unacceptable and unjustifiable,” the UN rapporteurs emphasized.
In their statement, the experts also recalled previous discussions in which they urged French authorities to conduct a comprehensive review of policing strategies and practices. This, they noted, is essential to allow demonstrators to voice their grievances and to facilitate the peaceful resolution of social conflicts.
The statement concluded by noting that the experts remain in active contact with French authorities regarding the issue.
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