FRANCE: STUDENTS MARCH TO INTERIOR MINISTRY, FOR LEONARDA

ANSA Med, Italy
Oct 17 2013

6,000 block schools, rally against deportation of Roma student

ANSAmed) – PARIS, OCTOBER 17 – Thousands of Parisian students are
marching to the interior ministry to protest the deportation of
Leonarda, a 15-year-old student from Kosovo, and of Khatchik, an
Armenian student who was an illegal resident.

Sporting stickers that read “For the return of Leonarda and Khatchik!”,
the students are calling for Socialist Interior Minister Manuel Valls
to resign.

“We’re not sure we’ll make it all the way to the ministry”, Education
Without Borders activist Brigitte Weiser told ANSAmed.

Her association was one of the first to protest Leonarda’s expulsion.

The demonstration began earlier on Thursday when students blocked
access to the capital’s main high schools, then took to the streets in
a rally that has been gathering strength during its advance towards the
Bastille. There are 6,000 participants so far, according to French high
school union FIDL. An ample police deployment is monitoring the march.

The story of Leonarda, who was pulled off a school bus by police
and immediately deported to Kosovo along with her entire family,
has split the ranks of the left and put the government on shaky
ground. The interior minister has ordered an investigation into the
episode. The conditions of Leonarda’s deportation “if confirmed, would
be deeply shocking”, presidential spokesperson Najat Vallaud-Belkacem
made known as the street protest grew.

“The facts have not yet been confirmed”, Vallaud-Belkacem told RTL
radio. (ANSAmed).

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress