A 16-year-old lost the use of an eye at a French school protest, and his lawyer says he wasn’t part of any violence. Now a police officer is charged

A French police officer in Tours has been charged with aggravated battery this week after a 16-year-old, Maël, reportedly lost the use of his eye following a shot from a rubber-bullet launcher during a school protest. While the officer denies the charges, Maël’s family’s lawyer stated that the teenager wasn’t involved in any violent confrontation and was feeling a deep sense of “injustice” over the incident. 

This case, however, is just one of several severe injuries reported during France’s biggest youth protest movement in decades, which is now in its fourth week. Students across the country have blockaded hundreds of high schools, demanding better-resourced schools, the replacement of absent teachers, and repairs to decrepit buildings, per The Guardian. 

The outlet noted that French lawyers and rights groups are saying that, in addition to the injuries from police weapons, an unprecedented number of children have been held in police custody, with some even reporting being hit or racially insulted. For instance, Evan, a 15-year-old carpentry student, lost a hand when a police stun grenade allegedly exploded outside a school protest in Lens on Oct. 5. His lawyer, Bertrand Wattez, said, “His injuries resemble war injuries.”

Families are disputing the official accounts

Per The Guardian, Wattez disputed the prosecution’s claim that Evan picked up the grenade, noting that he was just on his way to class and not involved in the protest. He currently remains in a “very difficult condition” in the hospital. Similarly, 14-year-old Eden was near a protest when he sustained extensive facial injuries, including two jaw fractures and breaking all his teeth. His lawyer claimed the damage came from a grenade launcher fired at close range. 

Both families have reportedly filed criminal complaints. Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez told the Senate that police have opened internal investigations into 36 allegations of officer violence against demonstrators, which include complaints of injuries, physical blows, insults, or even alleged sexual assault. The Guardian also pointed out that since the school protests started in mid-September, the justice ministry confirmed that 6,773 under-18s have been taken into police custody. 

The Washington Post reported that police themselves are complaining about facing violent rioters who use the crowds as cover to attack officers. Over 900 officers and more than 150 school staffers have been injured, according to government counts. Some teens have also been arrested, including a 15-year-old in Marseille who allegedly turned a homemade flamethrower on a woman during the protests.

Walid Hrar, a police officer and union representative, said many officers “aren’t specialized in crowd control and aren’t equipped for it,” the Post reported. Hrar’s Alliance police union is even filing a legal complaint against the state, accusing it of endangering lives by issuing vague orders and leaving officers “isolated, betrayed, abandoned, exposed to violence.”

Jean-Marie Godard, a policing specialist, reportedly agreed with Hrar’s sentiment. She noted that “We’re sending poorly equipped, untrained public security police officers to violent demonstrations who are likely to become agitated very quickly out of anger and fear.”

Nuñez stated that security forces have used crowd-control weapons at least 18,000 times during the protests, mostly smoke and tear gas, but also projectiles and grenades. He did suspend the use of a deafening launcher-fired grenade after Evan’s case. He insists that rules for riot-control projectiles are “very clear, very strict” and that “We avoid everything above the neck.” 

Sebastian Roché, another policing specialist, argued that the police response can depend on the government’s political needs.