French lawyers and human rights groups have accused police of using weapons that caused war-like injuries to teenagers during ongoing school protests, according to reporting by The Guardian.
The allegations emerge as France enters its fourth week of youth demonstrations described as the country's largest in decades. Hundreds of high schools have been blockaded as students demand the replacement of absent teachers and repairs to deteriorating buildings.
Lawyers say four children have suffered injuries described as mutilation from explosive weapons deployed by police during the protests. The same legal representatives report an unprecedented number of minors held in police custody related to the demonstrations. Some children in custody reported being struck by officers or subjected to racial insults, according to lawyers' accounts cited by The Guardian.
The scale of youth arrests represents a departure from typical police responses to school-based protests, according to the legal claims. French rights groups have joined lawyers in raising concerns about police conduct during the demonstrations.
Police justifications for their response tactics have not been included in the available source material. The specific weapons used, the circumstances of individual injuries, and official police statements on the custody numbers remain unreported in this excerpt.
The protests span multiple regions across France and reflect broader grievances about the education system. Student demands center on staffing and infrastructure rather than political demands on the national government.