Widespread protests across France have intensified amid concerns over police excessive force. The anger among citizens has grown, particularly following the serious injury of a 14-year-old boy from a tear gas canister fired by police.
According to the New York Times (NYT) on October 19, during a police operation to disperse a protest near a vocational high school in the outskirts of Paris last month, a 14-year-old boy, identified by the pseudonym Edan, was severely injured when a tear gas canister struck his face. Video footage verified by NYT shows an officer firing the canister at Edan from about two meters away.
As a result of the incident, Edan suffered a broken jaw and multiple dental injuries. His attorney reported that he is currently experiencing significant psychological trauma and has difficulty speaking and eating due to his jaw injury.
Medical records obtained by NYT indicate that Edan requires at least six weeks of treatment and may face long-term issues, including restricted jaw movement and chronic pain.
The officer who fired the tear gas has been suspended and is under investigation by prosecutors. Edan's legal representative has called for the officer to be charged with attempted murder.
However, accounts of the incident vary. The officer claims he fired the canister believing a colleague was in danger. Prosecutors view Edan as part of the protest group, while teachers present at the scene assert that he was not participating in the demonstration.
On the day of the incident, Edan texted his mother, saying, "The road is blocked. I'm on my way home." He reportedly filmed the situation from a parking lot about 50 meters away from the protest. Edan had recently enrolled in a vocational training institution primarily attended by students from low-income families.
The release of the video showing Edan being struck by the tear gas ignited outrage across France, leading to more intense protests. NYT noted that this incident has become another catalyst for students and citizens to take to the streets.
There have been other instances of minors being injured by police crowd control measures. According to NYT, French prosecutors and oversight bodies are currently investigating at least 34 allegations of police misconduct during the protests.
Among the reported cases is an incident where a 15-year-old boy lost his left hand due to an explosion from a flashbang used by police, and a 16-year-old boy was hospitalized after being struck in the eye by a rubber bullet.
As injuries to minors continue to mount, criticism of the police's aggressive response is growing.
The controversy surrounding the French police's crowd control methods is not new. During the "Yellow Vest" movement from 2018 to 2020, protesters suffered serious injuries, including loss of sight in one eye from rubber bullets fired by police.
Sébastien Roche, a professor at the French National Center for Scientific Research, stated, "The government's law enforcement approach has evolved over the past decade and is now being applied to teenagers. The government must reassess the use of such weapons."
Meanwhile, large-scale protests continue across France in response to rising living costs, fuel prices, and deteriorating educational conditions. Some areas have experienced violence, including arson and looting, further fueling the debate over the appropriateness of police responses.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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