A fifth teenage girl in France is set to report a sexual assault by police officers following her detention during protests against pension reform, according to France Info. The allegations add to mounting concerns about police conduct during demonstrations that have drawn broad national attention.
The group of girls says they were stopped on the Nantes ring road during a march on March 14 by members of unions and student groups. Official accounts from law enforcement cited document checks as the reason for the detention. Yet after stepping away from the crowd and being transported to a local station, the students say they were subjected to a body search that went beyond what is typically required for identity verification.
The women describe a sequence in which a female officer allegedly touched their intimate areas during the search and, in some accounts, inserted fingers inside their genitalia. The students insist the actions did not align with routine identity checks and were invasive and abusive. One student questioned the purpose of a search that allegedly targeted private areas and asked how identity could be hidden in such a manner, expressing anger and distress about the incident.
Earlier reports had already indicated a high number of detentions at the Paris protests against pension reform, with the tally reaching over a hundred individuals. The latest allegations underscore lingering questions about the handling of detainees and the safeguarding of personal dignity during crowd control operations, and they have prompted calls for transparent investigations and clear accountability when misconduct is alleged. France Info and other outlets have noted the growing scrutiny of police procedures at demonstrations and the importance of upholding rights while maintaining public order.