Amnesty International urges French authorities to de-escalate tensions during student protests

Amnesty International has called on French authorities to stop the "disproportionate" police response to student protests across the country.

"As children and young people prepare to take to the streets across France, authorities must ensure their safety and security and protect and facilitate the exercise of their right to demonstrate peacefully," Anne Savinel-Barras, head of Amnesty International France, said in a statement on Monday.

The group said French authorities must act upon their human rights obligations and added they must stop the recent "disproportionate police response" to student protests.

"Any policing response must be lawful, necessary and proportionate, and authorities must avoid unnecessary and excessive use of force," Savinel-Barras noted.

Footage and testimonies widely reported over the last week "raise alarming concerns about the dangerous use of tear gas, batons and restraint techniques by police," she said, adding that tear gas grenades have been discharged "recklessly," and rubber bullets have been fired causing serious injuries.

"The priority should be the de-escalation of tensions and authorities must take all available precautionary measures to avoid the need to use force," Savinel-Barras also said.

French Education Minister Edouard Geffray announced Monday that 190 students had been injured since protests over education conditions began in the Paris region in mid-September.

Student protests continued across France on Monday, with Geffray announcing that 589 establishments were affected during the day.

Since the start of the movement, 5,060 people have been taken into custody, according to a judicial source speaking to BFMTV. Among them, 87% were reportedly minors.

The French Human Rights League accused law enforcement of a broader "drift away from the rule of law" and failing to respect legal standards during police interventions against protesting students.

Five investigations have been opened by France's General Inspectorate of the National Police into incidents linked to the mobilization.

Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu is seeking to ease the crisis by putting forward five proposals and has called for decisions to be reached before the end of October.

Students demand more resources, better-maintained school buildings, smaller classes, and measures to address staff shortages.