Organizers put a nationwide turnout at 450,000 in student-led protests across France on Tuesday, while the Interior Ministry estimated 256,000, according to French public broadcaster Franceinfo.
The youth inter-union, including the Union Syndicale Lyceenne and Union Etudiante, said 100,000 demonstrated in Paris, while the Interior Ministry put the figure in the capital at 56,000.
The protests, described by organizers as the third stage of the mobilization, have centered on complaints about staffing shortages, overcrowded classrooms and inadequate school facilities.
The Education Ministry said 891 schools had been affected by the movement, with classes fully or partially suspended at about a quarter of them, according to Franceinfo.
Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said several dozen blockades or gatherings had been reported outside high schools in cities including Paris, Strasbourg, Rennes, Lyon, Nimes and Toulon.
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The Iranian Foreign Ministry has summoned France’s ambassador to Tehran over the French security forces’ handling of student protests, calling for respect for the protesters’ fundamental rights and peaceful assembly.
ReplyDeleteDuring the summons meeting on Tuesday, Hamid Ahmadi, Acting Director General of the Human Rights Department at Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, reminded France of its human rights obligations under international treaties and instruments. He urged the country to uphold fundamental human rights and freedoms, especially the right of the French people to hold peaceful gatherings.
Ahmadi expressed serious concern over the French security forces’ violent crackdown on peaceful demonstrations, which resulted in injuries and disabilities among a number of protesters, including some who had lost their sight, as well as the arrest of more than 5,000 people. He emphasized that such a level of force against those participating in peaceful protests is completely unjustifiable.
Referring to reports and images that depict security forces and armed police entering classrooms and assaulting students and teachers, he urged the establishment of an independent mechanism to investigate serious human rights violations. He also emphasized the need to address numerous accounts of excessive use of force and violations of the sanctity of schools by French police.
Ahmadi highlighted the protesters’ legitimate demands for the fundamental right to education and for access to a fair and non-discriminatory education system in France, calling on the French government to respect the legitimate and lawful rights of its citizens, particularly the younger generation, and to hold accountable those responsible for serious human rights violations.