French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu has publicly defended the actions of law enforcement during widespread student protests, even as reports emerged of severe injuries, including a teenager losing a hand due to a police grenade and another suffering permanent vision loss from a projectile.
Speaking in parliament on Tuesday, Lecornu rejected claims of police brutality or state-sponsored repression. He stated that the phrase "police brutality" suggests officers were explicitly ordered to employ excessive force, according to news reports.
"What triggers police action is the occurrence of urban violence," Lecornu affirmed.
"Can accidents happen? The answer is yes," he added.
Both Prime Minister Lecornu and Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez have asserted that police interventions were necessitated by acts of urban violence, arson, and vandalism. They maintained that officers operated within their authorized powers, with Nuñez further describing the police response as proportionate in "almost all cases."
The prime minister also accused the opposition party France Unbowed of exploiting the student demonstrations to create disorder and gain political advantage in anticipation of next year’s presidential election.
President Emmanuel Macron recently convened an urgent meeting with senior government ministers to address the ongoing nationwide student protests and their potential political repercussions.
Mounting Pressure and Injury Toll
The French government faces increasing scrutiny after more than 6,500 individuals were arrested, with hundreds sustaining injuries, as students demand improved funding and learning conditions within educational institutions. The majority of those arrested were minors, according to press accounts.
Lecornu reported that 215 students and 85 school staff members have been injured since the protests began. His office also indicated that 715 police officers have sustained injuries.
"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 various French unions and teachers’ groups converged with high school and university students. Members of France’s left-wing political parties also participated in the protest, news sources noted.
The Interior Ministry estimated that approximately 266,000 people participated in demonstrations across the nation on Tuesday, including 56,000 in Paris.
The demonstration in Paris remained largely peaceful, though smaller factions later engaged in confrontations with riot police, according to reports.
The student protest movement originated in high schools within the Paris region in mid-September before expanding nationwide.
Severe Injuries Prompt Calls for Review
Earlier this week, a 15-year-old in northern France suffered the loss of a hand following the explosion of a police grenade during a protest. A prosecutor investigating the incident noted the inability to definitively state "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 struck by a projectile. The prosecutor indicated that the projectile may have been discharged from a sub-lethal riot-control weapon utilized by police.
Boris Vallaud, who leads the center-left Socialist parliamentary group, announced that his party’s lawmakers intend to introduce legislation to restrict the deployment of sub-lethal riot-control weapons during student demonstrations, cautioning that these devices can inflict irreversible injuries.
