French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu defended the police response to student protests after one teenager lost a hand in an incident involving a police grenade and another lost sight in one eye after being struck by a projectile.
In parliament on Tuesday, Lecornu pushed back on accusations of police brutality or state repression, adding that the term “police brutality” implies that officers had been instructed to use force, according to Politico.
“What triggers police action is the occurrence of urban violence,” Lecornu said.
“Can accidents happen? The answer is yes,” he added.
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Lecornu and Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez have both argued that the police response was sparked by urban violence, arson and vandalism, while maintaining that officers have acted within their authority. Nuñez also called the police response proportionate in “almost all cases.”
The prime minister also accused opposition party France Unbowed of exploiting the student protests to sow chaos and score political points ahead of next year’s presidential election.
President Emmanuel Macron convened an emergency meeting with senior ministers to address the nationwide student protests and their potential political fallout.
The French government is facing mounting pressure after more than 6,500 people were arrested and hundreds were injured as students demand better funding and learning conditions in schools. Most of those arrested were minors, according to the Associated Press.
Lecornu said 215 students and 85 school staff members had been injured since the protests began, while his office said 715 police officers had also been injured.
“I hope we can provide a political response to a very real anxiety among high school students,” Lecornu acknowledged.
As Lecornu delivered his remarks on Tuesday, demonstrators from several French unions and teachers’ groups gathered with high school and university students. Members of France’s left-wing parties were also at the protest, according to Politico.
The Interior Ministry estimated that 266,000 people took part in demonstrations nationwide Tuesday, including 56,000 in Paris.
The Paris demonstration was largely peaceful, although smaller groups later clashed with riot police, according to the Associated Press.
The protesters’ movement began at high schools in the Paris region in mid-September before spreading nationwide.
TEEN’S HAND BLOWN OFF BY POLICE GRENADE DURING FRENCH STUDENT PROTESTS: REPORT
On Monday, a 15-year-old boy in northern France lost a hand after a police grenade exploded during the protests, Politico reported. A prosecutor said he could not “say for certain whether the student picked up the grenade or whether it was thrown at him.”
In the city of Tours, a 16-year-old lost sight in one eye after being hit by a projectile, according to the outlet. The prosecutor said the projectile may have been fired from a sub-lethal riot-control weapon used by police.
Boris Vallaud, leader of the center-left Socialist group in parliament, said the group’s lawmakers would introduce legislation restricting the use of sub-lethal riot-control weapons at student demonstrations, warning that they can cause irreversible injuries, the outlet reported.
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