Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said the Élysée Palace is remaining silent as French police use force against student protesters in Western Europe.

Axar.az reports, citing Russian media, that Zakharova criticized the French authorities’ response to the protests during an appearance on the radio station.

“The only thing that really concerns me in this regard is the silence of the Élysée Palace over the actions of the police. I think everyone who follows international political developments saw the footage yesterday. The French police were not just pushing and trampling their own children, but, I would say, were beating them without justification,” Zakharova said.

She added that a “full-scale ice battle” between police and unarmed children was taking place in the heart of Western Europe.

It should be noted that protests by secondary school students began in the Île-de-France region in late September and have since spread across France. The protesters are demonstrating against excessive academic workloads, teacher shortages and other problems in the education system. In some areas, the protests have escalated into riots and clashes with police. Law enforcement authorities have so far arrested more than 5,000 people, 90% of whom are minors.