At least 215 students and around 85 teachers have been injured since the beginning of the student mobilizations in France, according to the report presented this Tuesday by the Prime Minister, Sébastien Lecornu, before the National Assembly. The announcement came just before confirming the suspension of classes starting this Wednesday in order to enable a period of "internal democracy" in each educational institution.
Lecornu has particularly condemned the assaults suffered by the teaching staff, as it represents "the largest number of injuries in the national education system in decades." Although the head of government did not detail the specific circumstances in which all the incidents occurred, he did indicate that most are related to episodes of violence, while supporting the actions of the security forces.
The Prime Minister lamented that this report – to which he added another 715 injured among gendarmes and police officers – is mainly the result of an "unacceptable trivialization of violence," and he categorically denied the existence of "political instructions" aimed at promoting a wave of "police repression" against the protesters.
"Saying 'police violence' would suggest that there are political instructions for police repression, that is false and it is a 'lie'," Lecornu insisted, before announcing the decision to suspend classes, at least, until the weekend, following the indications of the Minister of Education, Édouard Geffray.
"Starting tomorrow morning, class schedules will be completely suspended so that each management team, each principal, has time to dedicate to internal democracy in secondary education institutions," the Prime Minister specified.
Since the protests began on September 28, the French police have made about 6,059 arrests and more than 5,000 people, mostly minors, have been detained, according to the provisional count released by the Ministry of the Interior.
Who has questioned the police response has been the National Consultative Commission on Human Rights (CNCDH), which this Tuesday expressed its "utmost concern" over the "disproportionate use of force" by the agents in the context of the student protests.
In a public note, the CNCDH has asked the Executive to "reinforce the dialogue with youth" and "guarantee the exercise of their rights." As a national Human Rights institution, it has emphasized that the management of these mobilizations "requires, above all, moderation, listening, and a strict respect for fundamental freedoms."