The French government has defended the arrest of a teenage boy in the middle of class over claims of bullying a transgender classmate, a rare move that angered many pupils and parents despite widespread support for a crackdown on harassment.

Government spokesperson Olivier Veran said the arrest had been made “in compliance” with policies against abusive behaviour, and aimed to send “a very strong message” to bullying students.

A police source told the AFP news agency that the decision to arrest the boy was based on “the nature of extremely serious threats that required urgent detention”.

The alleged victim, who attends a different school, was targeted with comments such as “We’re going to cut your throat” and “I detest your type … go die, go kill yourself”.

The controversy comes days after it emerged that education officials had sent a threatening letter to the parents of a boy who had complained of being bullied by classmates for months, saying their public statements complaining about the bullying were “unacceptable” and urged them to adopt a “constructive” attitude.

The boy, identified as Nicolas, 15, later killed himself on 5 September in a Paris suburb, one day after pupils went back to school after the summer break.

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