Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova criticized French authorities over the police response to clashes with student protesters.
At a news conference on Oct. 6, Zakharova said she was concerned by what she called the Élysée Palace’s silence about police actions. She also asked why EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas and members of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe had not reacted. The Russian newspaper Vedomosti reported her remarks.
High school and university students in France have been staging nationwide demonstrations to demand more education funding. Police used tear gas to control crowds in Paris and other cities on Oct. 6, The Associated Press reported. Zakharova described the police response as “beating” and a “massacre.” Those were her characterizations of the events. She called on European politicians to publicly address the use of force against young demonstrators.