Anadolu Ajansı reported Wednesday that UN experts urged France to review its policing of student protests, warning that mass detentions could discourage further peaceful demonstrations.
The detentions affected several thousand people, most of them minors, and appeared disproportionate, the experts said. They also said some minors suffered lasting injuries during law enforcement operations.
The report also described violence that injured police officers and damaged buildings and businesses. The experts called for investigations into those acts and for those responsible to be held accountable.
High school students began protesting in mid-September, and university students joined later. They sought improved educational conditions and fairer access to quality education, the experts said. Anadolu Ajansı reported that the French government made efforts to engage students in October. The experts argued that a focus on security had left students' complaints unaddressed and said they were in contact with French authorities.
The protests also reached cultural institutions. Le Monde reported that École du Louvre students blocked the museum on Oct. 19 in support of high school demonstrators and to seek more funding for education and culture. The Louvre blockade was also covered by EconoTimes.
