Baku reacts to protests in France

The Baku Initiative Group (BIG) is closely and seriously concerned about the ongoing nationwide mobilization of high school students and young people in France, as well as reports of protesters suffering serious injuries, numerous arrests and the use of dangerous special means, and has issued a statement on the matter.

TodayPress TV presents the statement by the Baku Initiative Group:

“The movement, which began in the city of Créteil and subsequently spread across France, initially emerged amid dissatisfaction with issues directly related to the right to quality education, including shortages of teachers and other education workers, inadequate school infrastructure, excessive academic workloads, and certain aspects of the university admissions system. These grievances later developed into a nationwide youth movement involving high school and university students, teachers, parents and trade unions.

The scale of the events requires particular attention. As of October 8, France’s interior minister said that more than 6,600 people had been arrested, while 215 students and 89 education workers had been injured.

Particularly concerning are cases involving serious injuries to minors. In the city of Lens, a 15-year-old student lost a hand after a stun grenade used during the protests exploded.

The BIG believes that the right to education, freedom of expression and peaceful assembly, as well as the protection of children and young people from unnecessary or disproportionate use of force, are universal principles that must be upheld without selective approaches or double standards.

Access to quality education is also one of the key pillars of genuine decolonization. Education makes it possible to eliminate structural inequalities, preserve one’s identity, and build sustainable and self-reliant institutions.

The BIG calls on the French authorities to ensure that law enforcement measures during demonstrations are carried out in strict accordance with the principles of necessity, proportionality and accountability; to guarantee the rights of minors and young people to express their views and assemble peacefully; to ensure effective investigations into cases resulting in serious injuries; and to engage in substantive dialogue with students, teachers and their representative organizations.

France claims to uphold the protection of human rights, democratic freedoms and human dignity as fundamental principles of its domestic and foreign policy. The consistent application of these principles must begin within the country itself. Human rights cannot be defended selectively, and young people seeking to make their voices heard should first and foremost be treated as rights-holders, not as a security problem.

The Baku Initiative Group will continue to closely monitor developments and calls for dialogue, restraint and full respect for fundamental rights.”

Giymat Mahir