French police face accusations of war-like injuries to teenagers at protests

French lawyers and rights groups say teenagers have suffered war-like injuries from police weapons during school protests, and that an unprecedented number of children have been held in police custody, some reporting being hit or racially insulted.

France is in the fourth week of its biggest youth protest movement in decades. Hundreds of high schools have been blockaded as students demand the replacement of absent teachers and repairs to decrepit buildings.

Injuries and investigations

The interior minister, Laurent Nuñez, told the senate that police have opened internal investigations into 36 allegations of officer violence against demonstrators, including four children allegedly "mutilated" by explosive weapons and six who sustained "significant injuries", as well as complaints over blows, insults or alleged sexual assault.

Evan, 15, a carpentry student at a vocational high school, had a hand blown off when a police stun grenade exploded outside a school protest in Lens, northern France, on 5 October. His lawyer, Bertrand Wattez, said: "His injuries resemble war injuries."

Wattez said Evan had gone to school for class and found a protest under way, had not taken part in violence and had not picked up the grenade, as the Béthune state prosecutor asserted. Evan lost his left hand and several fingers from his right hand. His family has filed a criminal complaint.

Eden, 14, suffered extensive facial injuries – two fractures to his jaw, the loss of his bottom teeth and all his top teeth broken – after he was allegedly hit by a shot from a grenade launcher near a school protest in Saint-Ouen-l'Aumône, north-west of Paris. His lawyer, Elsa Marcel, said the shot was fired from 1.5 metres. "This is the equivalent of war weaponry," she said. The family has filed a legal complaint for attempted murder.

Video footage appeared to show Eden facing three riot police officers before a grenade shot was fired. An officer has been suspended and placed under official investigation.

In the western city of Tours, a police officer was charged with aggravated battery after Maël, 16, lost the use of his eye allegedly after a shot from a form of rubber-bullet launcher. The officer denies the charges. The family's lawyer said Maël had not been involved in any violent confrontation with police but had simply been present at a school protest.

Custody numbers

The justice ministry said 6,773 under-18s have been taken into police custody since the protests began in mid-September. More than 1,000 face no charges, 2,190 are facing legal action and almost 2,000 were handed an alternative such as a citizenship course without a trial or conviction.

Nathalie Tehio, a lawyer and president of the French Human Rights League, said that because only a minority of children's cases would end up before a judge, there were concerns that arrests could be unfounded. "There are a record number of arrests," she said. "Often, the legal dossiers are empty. In reality, this is more about stopping people from demonstrating."

Prisca Ancion, of the leftwing lawyers' group Collectif d'Action Judiciaire, said: "There have been racist insults during arrests, as well as homophobic, sexist comments or sexual touching. We encourage families to file complaints."

In parliament, Nuñez denied any form of excessive policing or police repression and suspended the use of stun grenades at school demonstrations. The justice and interior ministries did not comment on allegations of insults or violence in police custody.

France has faced scrutiny over police use of explosive weapons, particularly after serious injuries during the 2018-2019 gilets jaunes demonstrations. Audrey Bailleul, a magistrate with the Union Syndicale des Magistrats, said it was hard to have a clear view of events at this stage.

Source: The Guardian World.