Police from the Bac entered Lycée Paul Éluard in Saint-Denis on Thursday, October 15, to arrest a student accused of “outrage”, triggering a confrontation inside the school. Teachers intervened to stop the arrest, and video footage shows the tense scene taking place just outside the principal’s office. Two officers in civilian clothes held the student and tried to leave, but they were trapped in a staircase as around 50 teachers and staff blocked the way. Witnesses said one teacher was thrown to the ground. According to the Bobigny public prosecutor’s office, the officers had entered the school to arrest a minor who had taken refuge inside after an incident. The police ultimately released the student. The clash drew competing accounts. In an interview, French lawmaker Eric Coquerel, from LFI in Seine-Saint-Denis, said a peaceful gathering with teachers was happening outside the lycée when officers arrived and quickly “charged” people. He alleged that an elected official was sprayed in the face with gas, that a placard was ripped from a young person, and that officers later “molested” several teachers after trying to take the pupil inside. A separate version was given by the rectorate, which said the principal did not request the Bac but could not prevent the intervention. The teacher who spoke on camera, Marianne, said she was shocked that police could be allowed to arrest their student inside the school. Officers said they were themselves the victims of violence from teachers and filed a complaint. The prosecutor’s office in Bobigny requested an investigation for violence against people holding public authority. The matter is now under investigation after the student was released and the public inquiry into both sides’ claims was opened.