Violent clashes and barricades have erupted in central Paris as thousands of teenagers stage a defiant protest outside a secondary school, demanding greater school funding and equality. The demonstrations, which began in low-income suburbs, have escalated into confrontations with riot police, sparking investigations into alleged excessive force against minors. Human rights groups have condemned the use of heavy-handed tactics, framing the unrest as the largest youth-led movement in recent memory. Authorities are now probing claims of police brutality amid growing tensions over education disparities.
Unprecedented protests that began in low-income banlieue are turning ugly, with investigations under way into police brutalityBefore dawn on Tuesday outside the Lycée Sophie-Germain in central Paris, hundreds of teenagers dragged wheelie bins, metal barriers and shopping trolleys to build a barricade outside the front door of their secondary school.Climbing to the top of the piles of bins, pupils held banners calling for more funding and greater equality in French schools. But they were also protesting against French riot police, who have been accused by human rights groups of using disproportionate force against children in what is fast becoming the biggest youth protest movement in decades. Continue reading...
