French lawyers say police cannot seize student protest signs just for criticism

French high school students held a fifth day of national protests on Tuesday, with about 200 schools blocked and demonstrations across the country.

The debate follows a protest in Paris the previous Thursday, where police checked students’ signs and took some away.

Lawyers consulted by franceinfo say police may ban a sign only if its message is an insult or offence covered by law.

Criticism of the police alone is protected expression, so removing signs for that reason can amount to censorship.

The lawyers say an individual police officer cannot decide by themselves whether a slogan is illegal; that assessment generally belongs to a judicial police officer.

If a sign is judged to show a crime, the student carrying it should have been arrested, they say.

A general check of signs would require a preventive administrative order, which lawyers say could be harder to justify at a student protest.