French police used UK-funded vehicles to charge at student protesters

Summarised from 2 outlets · Updated 18 Oct, 16:19 · Archive

French police used 4x4 vehicles funded by British taxpayers to charge at student protesters during school demonstrations in Dunkirk. The French government confirmed it has opened an investigation into why the vehicles, which were funded by the UK government specifically to prevent asylum seekers crossing the Channel, were deployed against the protesters.

Footage reported by French broadcaster BFM TV on 10 October showed a Masstech MEZI (Vehicule d'Eclairage de Zone d'Intervention) accelerating towards students, reversing, then driving forwards again with a rubbish bin trapped beneath its front wheel. Students can be heard screaming as they scattered from the vehicle's path. A 14-year-old girl was injured by the vehicle and taken to hospital with a haematoma, though she was later discharged. She told reporters that what happened was 'unacceptable'.

The vehicles were acquired under the 2018 Sandhurst treaty, an Anglo-French border agreement that channels British funding towards combating irregular migration on French shores. School protests have been taking place across France for a third week with an estimated 160,000 people involved, with demonstrators raising concerns about crumbling schools and teacher shortages. Teargas was also fired at protesters in two areas during the demonstrations.

How it is being reported

• French police 'rammed student protesters with cars funded by British taxpayer'French police used cars paid for by British taxpayers to ram student protesters, images reveal. Government officials in Paris have confirmed an investigation has been opened into why the vehicles, which had been funded to prevent illegal migrants from crossing the English Channel, were used to combat violent protests in Dunkirk. The incident resulted in a teenager requiring hospital treatment and has raised serious questions about how equipment paid for by UK taxpayers came to be deployed against young demonstrators on French streets. The 4x4 vehicle used is a land cruiser known as a…GB News · 18 Oct, 16:10
• Revealed: French police used UK-funded 4x4 vehicles to charge student protestersFrench government launches investigation into why cars funded by UK to prevent asylum seekers crossing Channel were used in school protests French police have used 4x4 vehicles paid for by British taxpayers to charge at student protesters during the school protests that have swept the country. The French government has confirmed that an investigation has been launched into why the cars, funded by the UK government specifically to prevent asylum seekers crossing the Channel, were used during a protest involving school students in Dunkirk. Continue reading...The Guardian · 17 Oct, 17:00

In this story: France · UK · Dunkirk · Laurent Nunez

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