Several lawyers representing teenagers who were taken into police custody during a nationwide student movement have spoken out against alleged physical and psychological abuse by law enforcement. The movement, which began in mid-September in Val-de-Marne, has grown as students demand more teachers, better resources, and reforms to the college admissions system known as Parcoursup. Lawyers have reported that minors were subjected to violence, insults, and "attempts at humiliation" during their arrests, leaving them "terrified," according to Ainoha Pascual, a lawyer from the Legal Team Paris. She described the moment of entering a police station as being faced with "47 kilos and 1.56 meters behind," referring to a teenager's physical presence, and said that many arrive "injured" after being struck with batons or forced to the ground. Prisca Ancion, a penal lawyer from the action judicial collective (CAJ), noted that nearly all the minors she accompanied described being insulted, slapped, or physically restrained. She criticized the lack of adaptation in police practices when dealing with minors, saying that no special considerations were made for their age. Eleven investigations have been launched by the National Police Inspection General (IGPN), an internal oversight body for the police, into allegations of serious injuries caused by officers. In addition to physical violence, lawyers have reported "psychological violence" and "racist insults" inside police stations, with one instance involving a teenager being forced to crawl like a dog to pick up items. In the southwest of France, similar concerns have been raised. Ludovic Tardy, a lawyer in Pau, described how minors were detained without basic necessities like a mattress or blanket. Interrogations were often filled with sarcasm, including remarks from police officers mocking the teenagers' demands for better school hours. Theo Kermagoret, another penal lawyer, recounted how a teenager was mocked for invoking their right to remain silent, with an officer saying, "It doesn't help, your lawyer is advising you badly." Clothilde Legros, a penal lawyer, warned that if video evidence shows discrepancies between police reports and the actual events, there could be many complaints for falsifying official documents. Lawyers have also raised concerns about their ability to assist minors. Camille Duprié, from the CAJ, was prevented from accompanying a student, with police accusing her of "prospecting for clients." She was forced to leave the station, an obstacle that some lawyers believe is meant to hide "empty" files. The National Conference of Chief Prosecutors denied these claims, stating that prosecutors had received reports of serious violence against police officers, school staff, or students, as well as damage caused by dangerous means. However, lawyers who spoke to AFP described experiences that contradict this, with one Bordeaux-based lawyer describing a 15-year-old who was detained overnight despite being wrongly accused of entering a facility. Another lawyer, Chirinne Ardakani, recounted the case of a 14-year-old who was arrested for stopping near a high school on the way to his middle school.