PARIS — A police tear gas grenade severely injured a 14-year-old boy, causing significant damage to his jaw and teeth. The officer who fired the grenade was taken into custody a week later and charged with violent mutilation, which carries a potential 15-year prison sentence. Following surgery, the boy is unable to speak and can only eat through a straw, reports BritPanorama.
This incident is among several life-altering injuries inflicted on adolescents due to police weaponry during nationwide protests by high school students seeking increased funding for dilapidated schools. In the former mining town of Lens, a 15-year-old lost a hand from a police stun grenade. Additionally, a 16-year-old in Tours is suspected to have been partially blinded by a police riot-control round.
The widespread use of police arrests and tactics criticized as excessively violent has resulted in a generation of French schoolchildren gaining a firsthand understanding of state power and their rights as citizens, raising concerns about the implications for the future. “It politicizes you at an incredible speed,” remarked Alexis Baudelin, an attorney representing several of the detained youngsters.
Reports indicate that police have detained over 6,600 individuals, primarily minors, since protests escalated last week, alongside 488 arrests made during nationwide demonstrations on Tuesday. The movement, which demands more funding and additional teaching staff for schools, originated in a Paris-region high school in mid-September.
Experts studying French policing warn that this reaction may foster a sense of disillusionment among young adults towards the Republic and its ideals of “Liberty, Equality, Fraternity.” The current police response has been markedly harsher towards teenage demonstrators compared to past protests involving other groups, such as farmers, who engaged in civil disobedience without facing similar repercussions.
According to Baudelin, his young clients are experiencing firsthand the “unrestrained violence from the police.” He described the traumatic conditions within police custody, emphasizing the lack of resources, the unsanitary environment, and the pressure from officers during questioning that can leave lasting psychological scars.
Use of some police grenades suspended
Amid increasing public outcry, Interior Minister Laurent Nunez announced on Wednesday that the stun grenade model responsible for the teen’s injuries will no longer be employed against high school protesters, citing a “strong possibility” that it caused the severe injury. Nunez expressed the intention to fully investigate the circumstances surrounding the incident.
Despite this, he defended police actions as generally proportionate, stating they were necessary to address rioting and vandalism during the protests while recognizing the youthfulness of those involved. “You don’t handle a high schoolers’ movement in the same way as one by adults,” he remarked in an interview.
In the case of the injured 14-year-old, he was shot with the gas grenade while participating in protests in Saint-Ouen l’Aumône. The officer involved claimed he acted quickly to protect a female colleague in a heated moment. However, the official narrative describes his actions as disproportionate, leading to the preliminary charges against him as part of an investigation into police conduct during the protests.
The boy, named Eden, reportedly sent a video to his mother moments before the incident, depicting the scene with both police and protesters. His mother described the harrowing moment she learned of his injury, detailing the graphic impact sustained as a result of police action.
“It’s shameful, it’s appalling, it’s violent, it’s disgusting, it’s despicable,” she articulated, condemning the violent treatment of young individuals merely advocating for better educational conditions.
Teens emerge more defiant
During recent demonstrations in Paris, three teenagers recounted their experiences of being detained, handcuffed, and searched while participating in protests. Samy and Warkya, both 17, expressed concern over what they perceived as racial profiling during their arrest, as they were singled out among their peers despite not presenting any suspicious behavior.
Samy indicated that the officers exhibited discriminatory behavior, stating, “They said, ‘You, you and you, you’re coming with us,’” despite their non-threatening appearance.
Warkya reflected on her first encounter with police custody, noting it instilled in her both a determination to protest and a critical awareness of the risks involved. “The police are more powerful than us,” she concluded with a sense of resignation, highlighting the feeling of powerlessness in attempting to effect change.
