Police Accused Over Injuries to Teens at French School Protests
A police officer in Tours was charged this week after a 16-year-old student lost the use of an eye. The student was allegedly hit by a shot from a rubber-bullet-type launcher during a school protest.
36 investigations into alleged police misconduct were open as of Tuesday.
18,000 times or more, police used crowd-control weapons, the interior minister said.
6,773 minors were taken into custody since mid-September, the justice ministry said.
900-plus officers were injured, by the government's count.
Why it matters: The protests are France's largest youth movement in decades. Students are demanding replacement teachers and repairs to run-down schools.
The officer denies the charges; the family's lawyer says Maël was not violent.
Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez suspended one grenade type after a 15-year-old lost a hand.
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Political Bias
Coverage by lean% of 6 sources
6 sources · 7 articles · 34% Left coverage
Where they split: Coverage divides over whether the injuries reflect police excess against students or officers facing violent rioters hiding in the crowds.
Center coverage, 2 sources: The center sees a nationwide unrest story, weighing the police weapons scrutiny against officer injuries and fears of more violence.
Left coverage, 2 sources: The left sees an outgoing government using heavy police force and mass arrests that injure and intimidate teenagers seeking better schools.
What’s next: More than 600 rallies over schools, prices and inequality were planned for Saturday, organizers said. Paris police banned marches near key government sites.
The Alliance police union is filing a legal complaint accusing the state of endangering officers.
Student protests have spread to Italy, where demonstrators clashed with police in several cities.
Will the misconduct investigations produce more charges beyond the Tours and Saint-Ouen-l'Aumône officers?
Do the many custody cases without charges reflect unfounded arrests, as some lawyers allege?
