France Police Under Fire as Teenagers Suffering from Serious Injuries During Student Protests
French police are under scrutiny after 24 cases were opened against them for the injuries suffered by students during the protests. The teenagers were subjected to severe facial injuries and one of them even lost a hand.
Raja Awais Ali
10/10/20265 min read
French Police Under Scrutiny as Student Protest Injuries Mount
French authorities are investigating the actions of police after they used rubber bullets, tear gas grenades, and other means of crowd control in the recent student protests which left many teenagers injured. According to the French Interior Ministry, as of October 10, there were 24 cases of police violence under review by the National Police Oversight Authority (IGPN) after more than two weeks of unrest over the educational system. The use of force by police against the student protesters has sparked condemnation from human rights groups as well as some lawmakers.
The student protests initially erupted over issues of teaching staff, class sizes, dilapidated school buildings, and other educational concerns. They have since evolved into widespread demonstrations across France, with students clashing with police. Prime Minister Sebastian Lecornu called it the most violent student uprising in France in years.
The most recent and severe case involved a 14-year-old boy named Eden who suffered a broken jaw and several other dental injuries after a police officer fired a tear gas grenade at close range in Saint-Ouen-l’Aumone, a small community just outside the capital. According to Eden’s family lawyer, the teenager was sitting on a wall and was looking at his phone a few feet away from where the confrontation between students and police was taking place. Eden’s family lawyer, Elsa Marcel, stated that the officer knocked him off the wall with a baton as the teen was looking at his phone. Eden then kicked the officer in the stomach, and another officer fired a tear gas grenade into his face. According to the local prosecutor, Eden was left on the ground, and the officer who hit him with the baton did not call an ambulance.
Marcel accused the officer of leaving Eden on the ground and claimed he would be charged with an assault resulting in permanent disability or disfigurement. The officer is currently under investigation for allegedly committing assault by a public official. Eden’s family has filed a complaint with the police for attempted murder. Meanwhile, the officer’s defense lawyer stated that he was defending himself and his partner when Eden struck him in the stomach. The defense claimed Eden had threatened him and his colleague.
Another severe case of a student being injured occurred in the northern town of Lens. A 15-year-old student lost his hand in an incident that involved a stun grenade. Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez ordered the immediate suspension of the use of stun grenades during high school student protests on October 7. The minister took this step after the nation reacted in outrage to the youngster losing his hand and as a result, additional calls for a ban on police weapons.
Reuters looked into the number of injuries caused by police using various weapons. On October 10, Reuters published an article noting that they had identified 28 incidents in which individuals had been injured as a result of police force through a combination of interviews and research of court records. 15 of the 24 instances that would be investigated by the Interior Ministry’s IGPN were included among these injuries. Rubber bullets, stun grenades, tear gas, batons, and charges by horseback were among the weapons that contributed to these injuries. Additionally, there were two incidents in which individuals sustained significant eye injuries or even lost an eye as a result of being struck in the eye with rubber bullets.
According to Reuters, in one of the most recent incidents that took place in Argenteuil, near Paris, a 16-year-old student suffered an injury to his left eye when he returned home after learning that his school had been closed. According to his representative, Sophia Kerbaa, the student may have suffered permanent damage to his vision. It was not determined whether the student had been shot in the eye with a rubber bullet or if his eye was injured by another item. According to the prosecutor, police said the student fit the description of one of two young men suspected of targeting fireworks and responded by shooting him in the eye with a rubber bullet.
In addition to the student protesters, there were also reports of police brutality and injuries to teachers, students, and even other civilians. According to Interior Minister Nuñez, around 200 students have been injured as a result of the demonstrations. However, he maintained that the responsibility of the police was rarely the cause of the injuries. The authorities also noted that around 700 police officers had been injured as well as attacks on schools, with many of them set on fire or completely charred, as well as assaults on teachers and the general public.
According to the Reuters by October 10, police had arrested 6,877 individuals for the majority of the disruptions, with many of them being minors. With the vast number of arrests of students, as well as the numerous injuries that the youths suffered as a result, the conflict between the authorities and the students has sparked a heated debate about the severity of the force used by police to control the gatherings of the students.
Sebastian Roche, a researcher at the National Center for Scientific Research, noted that France was unique in Europe in its use of rubber bullets and stun grenades. Roche stated that the number of severe and irreversible damages caused by these weapons to the bodies of many minors within a short period was remarkable. Roche further stated that in countries such as Britain, Italy, and Germany, with the exception of Hamburg, crowd-control weapons were only used occasionally in low numbers, and in Spain, there were fewer injuries than in France.
Human rights groups such as Amnesty International, as well as some lawmakers, filed petitions requesting the banning of several of these so-called less-lethal weapons. This is because rubber bullets and grenade launchers can cause severe and often permanent damage, and their use against crowds should be restricted. Additionally, it was recommended that rubber bullets be removed from use to lower tensions between students and police.
The police responded by stating that it was necessary to have a range of options available to deal with violent crowds. Thierry Clair, the secretary general of the police union, stated that he did not believe the use of tear gas, rubber bullets, and other similar equipment should be prohibited just because some students had suffered grievous injuries. Clair stated that the violence committed by young people was a contributing factor to the confrontations between police and students. He argued that by removing the option of using these weapons, the police were putting themselves at risk of suffering even more severe injuries if they had to rely only on their physical strength to subdue rowdy crowds.
The conflict between students, police, and even government authorities has resulted in increased tensions across France as the country approaches the 2027 elections. Macron’s administration is currently reviewing the response to the unrest as well as the broader social and political implications of the student protests in relation to education spending, as well as police reform and oversight.
It will be crucial to see what the investigations into the various injuries of the students will reveal. It will also be essential to see what action the authorities will take in response to the police violence as well as the students’ demands. The outcomes of these investigations might have an impact on how the French government handles the use of police weaponry to control crowds, as well as how it ensures the safety of both the public and the police.
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