France suspends use of stun grenades against protesters
Deutsche Welle · LC · trust 67/100
France suspended the use of stun grenades against protesters as allegations of student brutality draw more anger. French Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu said the country could not ignore students' concerns.
https://p.dw.com/p/5NtoP Police have fired tear gas to break up demonstrations in several French cities since protests began Image: Fred Tanneau/AFP Advertisement France is suspending the use of stun grenades at student-led protests as people report allegations of police brutality at demonstrations that have widened over the weeks .
"I am suspending their use in the high school student protests until the facts of the incident have been clarified," Interior Minister Laurent Nunez told RTL radio broadcaster on Wednesday.
He emphasized that the suspension was "only for the high school student protests" and for "just long enough to understand what happened."
Nunez announced the measure to curb growing anger after reports of serious injuries to teenage protesters drew public anger.
On Monday, a 15-year-old lost his hand after picking up a particular type of police stun grenade, a sting ball grenade, that then detonated before he could throw it back.
Last week, a 14-year-old student in northwest Paris was hit in the jaw as a tear gas canister was fired during protests. The officer was charged on Tuesday.
Speaking later on Wednesday, French Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu said France could not remain "indifferent" to students' concerns and that the "anger of young people does not come from nowhere."
"In the past, too many promises were not kept, quite simply because they were untenable," Lecornu said in a televised address. "What I want are concrete, quick and fully funded answers."
Lecornu denied that security forces have "orders to confront" the protesters after scenes of violent clashes. He also promised the government would present its first decisions to respond to the crisis "at the end of October."
AI-generated fake social media videos claiming to show police officials threatening protesters have only served to amplify the issue. The head of Paris police, Patrice Faure, on Wednesday explicitly rejected the contents of one widely-shared TikTok video claiming to show him threatening "indiscriminate" use of tear gas grenades and a risk of "even more amputations."
He reminded those making the videos that they risked prosecution, urging them to "return to reason" while appealing to others "not to let yourselves be manipulated."
Nunez said on Monday that 761 police officers or gendarmes had been wounded during the roughly three weeks of protests, as well as 215 students and 89 teaching staff.
France students demand better schools To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video
The French Foreign Ministry on Wednesday summoned Iran's ambassador to protest against a "disinformation campaign conducted by the Iranian authorities."
The ambassador was told that "the misleading content disseminated online" by Iran's Foreign Ministry was "absolutely unacceptable." Iran had earlier summoned France's ambassador to complain of "violent treatment" against protesters and of "extensive human rights violations."
This seemed a thinly veiled attempt to draw parallels between the unrest and the brutal government crackdown on anti-government protests in Iran this year, particularly in early January. The Norway-based NGO Iran Human Rights says it has identified 4,219 people killed in those protests, and warned the real tally is likely far higher.
The demonstrations are also taking place at a difficult time for the French government as it tries to rein in its debts while facing demands to spend more on public services — all just a few months before presidential elections where incumbent Emmanuel Macron will not be eligible to run.
Protests first began mid-September in the Paris region after students began mobilizing against perceived inequalities in the education system.
From the outset, pupils said teaching, facilities and opportunities for advancement weren't as good for students in disadvantaged neighborhoods — despite the promise of France's national motto of "Liberty, Equality, Fraternity."
Demonstrations then spread to all parts of the country, including smaller towns with high schools.
On Tuesday, trade unions joined student protests. The Interior Ministry said nearly 256,000 people took part in protests nationwide on Tuesday.
Protests turned violent in Paris, where small groups of protesters clashed with riot officers at a city square toward the end.
More than 6,500 people have been arrested over the course of the last two weeks, most of them minors.
Student protests in France: Schools shut as unrest grows To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video
Read the original at Deutsche Welle →
Open in TruthVane →