Bally Bagayoko indicated that students, teachers, and educational assistants from Paul-Éluard high school had gathered on Thursday, October 15, to defend equality of rights in education. According to him, the mobilization was taking place without violence or degradation, no projectiles had been used, and classes remained accessible. He added that some young people had brought sound equipment to dance. The mayor reported that around 10:30 am, law enforcement had used batons and tear gas without warning, according to the elected officials present. He claimed that several officers were not wearing their RIO number and that some were masked. Nesrine Gharbi, a municipal councilor, reportedly identified herself as an elected official in an attempt to de-escalate the situation before being gassed in the face at point-blank range and then struck, according to her account. The municipality provided her with support. Bagayoko specified that five people were in police custody. He also reported that around 1 p.m., a student fearing arrest had sought refuge in the school. The principal had reportedly held him in his office before police officers from the BAC entered the premises to take him away. Teachers and educational assistants had reportedly intervened. Bagayoko attributed the escalation to an intervention he described as brutal and disproportionate in the face of young people protesting non-violently. He believed that those who decided on this intervention should be held accountable and lamented the lack of a call for de-escalation from the state. The mayor stated that he had spoken by phone with the commissioner and the deputy prefect. He had asked them to put an end to the escalation and to provide explanations regarding the use of force in front of the high school, the conditions of the arrests, the retention of the student by the principal, and the entry of the police into the establishment. The city demanded that responsibilities be established and that everyone's rights be respected. Bagayoko defended the school as a place of learning, protection, and dialogue, and asserted that the demands of the high school students called for political responses: more staff, better study conditions, and increased investment in education in Seine-Saint-Denis. He added that Saint-Denis–Pierrefitte stood alongside the mobilized students, educational teams, and families. #Éducation #ÉgalitéDesDroits #Mobilisation (translated)
