A placard held by a young man as school protests continued across France appeared to capture the mood on the streets. Young people, it said: “want the Bac (high school diploma), not the BAC”. The Brigade Anti-Criminalité (BAC) is a police unit widely known for its aggressive tactics in tackling street crime.
The protests, which began as demonstrations over conditions in high schools (lycées) in Paris have spread across France. Hundreds of thousands of school students and young people have taken to the streets in many cities. After several young people were injured, including a 15-year-old who lost a hand to a stun grenade, the police response has sparked a debate over what some consider to be heavyhanded tactics. The use of stun grenades by police in this protest has now been banned.
