The Milli Majlis expressed its position on mass protests and facts of human rights violations in France
Protests in France, which began amid discontent over the state of the education system, the rising cost of living and social problems, on October 17 engulfed a broader region, spreading to various cities across the country.
According to official data, 550,000 people took part in the demonstrations that day. The riots, arson and looting that occurred in Paris, Marseille, Lyon and other cities demonstrate the serious difficulties that Emmanuel Macron's regime faces in the sphere of maintaining public order and the safety of citizens.
As AZERTAC reports, these thoughts were reflected in a statement by the Milli Majlis, which expressed its position on the mass protests and facts of human rights violations taking place in France.
It was noted that reports of violence against minors by the police cause particular indignation. Reports about the use of batons, tear gas, traumatic weapons and explosive special devices against schoolchildren, as well as about physical violence against children, are a cause of serious alarm. Especially shocking is the fact that as a result of police violence a 15-year-old teenager in Lens lost an arm, and a 17-year-old girl in Mulhouse lost the sight in one eye. Protecting the lives and health of children is the direct duty of the state, and the need to ensure public order can under no circumstances serve as a justification for the use of disproportionate force against them. These acts of violence must be investigated in an independent and transparent manner.
The arrest of thousands of people, including minors, during the mass protests, the restriction of movement of peaceful demonstrators and the ban on gatherings in individual cities raise serious concerns regarding respect for freedom of assembly and the principle of proportionality. In connection with the events of October 17 alone, about 2,400 people were arrested. Ensuring citizens' right to peaceful protest stems from the international obligations of the French state, and restricting this right is unacceptable.
Serious problems in the sphere of ensuring public safety and fundamental rights also exist in France's overseas territories. After the riots, arson and attacks on commercial facilities on the night of October 17-18 in Guadeloupe, a curfew was introduced in a number of places. And in New Caledonia, France's National Consultative Commission on Human Rights in January 2026 declared the deterioration of the fundamental rights of the Kanak population, the deepening of discrimination and the existence of numerous reports of excessive use of force by law enforcement agencies in recent years. These cases demonstrate the serious problems that the dictatorship of the Macron regime faces in the sphere of ensuring the rights and safety of people living in the overseas territories, in particular representatives of indigenous peoples.
The Milli Majlis believes that the events taking place in France are not limited to accidental violations of public order, but are an indicator of a deep political and governance crisis of the government, of the collapse of the policy it pursues in the sphere of responding to social discontent and ensuring the safety of citizens. The Macron regime, on the one hand, has failed to protect peaceful demonstrators, including children, from disproportionate police intervention, and on the other hand, has failed to protect citizens and their property from violence during the riots. The issue of political responsibility for the events that have occurred cannot remain without attention. It is completely obvious that the French state and the dictatorship of the Macron regime, which try to dictate moral lessons to the world on the topic of human rights, democracy and values, are experiencing a deep political and governance crisis.
The Milli Majlis calls on France to prevent the use of disproportionate force against children and peaceful demonstrators, to comprehensively investigate the incidents that resulted in severe injuries, to ensure that those responsible are brought to justice before the law, to protect the rights of detainees, especially minors, and to respect citizens' freedom of peaceful assembly.
The Milli Majlis, in particular, resolutely condemns the fact that such corrupt and morally bankrupt institutions as the European Parliament and the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe ignore the disgrace being perpetrated in France, as well as their selective approach to the issue of human rights and their double standards;
An objective, impartial and fair investigation by the country's national investigative and judicial bodies into cases of police violence in France raises serious doubts. In this regard, the Milli Majlis calls on international organizations, in particular the UN Human Rights Council, to create an independent international commission of inquiry with the aim of comprehensively investigating cases of the use of force against peaceful demonstrators, including minors, and human rights violations.
The Milli Majlis also calls on the parliament of France, international parliamentary organizations and human rights institutions to express a principled position on the events that have occurred, to support the conduct of an independent international investigation and to demand that the Macron regime comply with international obligations in the sphere of human rights.
