Annie Ernaux, the 2022 Nobel literature laureate, has backed calls for a thorough investigation after four female students said they were sexually assaulted by police in the western city of Nantes following a protest against President Emmanuel Macron’s deeply contentious pension reform.
Ernaux was among 45 signatories of an open letter on Sunday voicing outrage at the alleged assault, which comes amid intense criticism of heavy-handed policing of pension protests sweeping the country.
