1 day ago
Teenager’s Broken Jaw Fuels Scrutiny of French Protest Policing
Students in France have been protesting, and some demonstrations have become violent.
A 14-year-old named Eden was badly hurt when a tear gas grenade hit him in the face.
His family says he was sitting near a protest, while police said he confronted officers.
The officer who fired the grenade is being formally investigated.
Many people are also concerned about other students injured during the protests.
Rights groups and some politicians say police should stop using weapons such as rubber bullets and grenades.
Police unions say officers need ways to respond when situations become dangerous.
French authorities say many police officers have also been hurt.
Fourteen-year-old Eden suffered a broken jaw and smashed teeth after a tear gas grenade struck his face during student protests in Saint-Ouen-l'Aumone, according to his family and lawyer.
The prosecutor said an officer reported that Eden confronted police; the officer was placed under formal investigation on assault charges eight days after the incident.
The case is among 24 investigations by France’s internal police watchdog related to policing during more than two weeks of student unrest.
Reuters documented 28 cases of injuries linked to police force; authorities also reported about 200 injured students and 700 injured police officers.
Rights advocates and some politicians want “less lethal” weapons withdrawn, while police unions argue they are needed to handle violent situations and protect officers.
- Who
- Fourteen-year-old Eden, police officers, student protesters, and authorities.
- What
- Eden was seriously injured by a tear gas grenade, and the officer who fired it was placed under formal investigation.
- Where
- Saint-Ouen-l'Aumone, France.
- When
- The injury occurred last week; the officer was placed under investigation on Tuesday, eight days later.
- Why
- The prosecutor said the officer reported seeking to protect himself and colleagues after Eden confronted police; the circumstances are under investigation.
Calls to restrict weapons
Arguments for retaining police options
Use of less-lethal weapons
Calls to restrict weapons
Human rights advocates and some politicians have called for rubber bullets and other “less lethal” weapons to be withdrawn or banned, arguing that their use has caused serious injuries.
Arguments for retaining police options
Police unions say these weapons are needed to respond to violent situations and protect officers; they warn that removing intermediate options could leave lethal force.
What is driving the injuries
Calls to restrict weapons
Critics say the scale of injuries and the use of police weapons support calls to change protest-policing tactics and de-escalate.
Arguments for retaining police options
Police union representative Thierry Clair said serious injuries are tragic but should not call policing techniques into question, attributing the problem to violence by some young people.
Key facts
- Eden's age
- 14
- Injuries reported
- Broken jaw and multiple smashed teeth
- Police watchdog investigations
- 24 cases linked to policing of the student unrest
- Reuters-documented injury cases
- 28 cases involving police force, including 15 among those under IGPN investigation
- Injured students
- Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said about 200 students had been injured
- Injured police officers
- Authorities said 700 police officers had been injured
- Arrests
- Authorities said police arrested 6,877 people, mostly minors
Quotes
Elsa Marcel
Lawyer representing Eden’s family
“(The officer) shot him in the mouth and left him lying on the ground, without even calling the emergency services.”
telegraphindia.com
Sebastian Roche
Researcher on policing at the French National Centre for Scientific Research
“France is an anomaly in terms of its use of arms and the number of victims — we have four irreversible injuries in the space of 12 days, and they are minors.”
telegraphindia.com
Thierry Clair
Police union representative
“How do we respond when people are moving towards confrontation? If we remove intermediate force options, all we are left with is lethal force. That is simply inconceivable.”
telegraphindia.com
Sources
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