▲ Riot police face off against protesters at a demonstration site in France. (Photo: Getty Images)
Analysis suggests that excessive use of force by police contributed significantly to the recent escalation of protests across France.
Reports indicate that police heavily overreacted against underage students in the early stages of the protests, and these incidents acted as fuel for the demonstrators' outrage.
According to video footage verified by The New York Times on the 19th local time, French police fired a tear gas canister directly into the face of a 14-year-old boy named Edan while dispersing a protest at a vocational high school in a Parisian suburb late last month.
Edan, who was struck in the face by the tear gas canister from a distance of barely two meters, reportedly suffered a broken jaw and extensive damage to his teeth.
His lawyer stated that Edan is currently suffering from extreme psychological shock and is unable to speak properly or eat normally because he cannot move his jaw.
According to medical records obtained by The New York Times, Edan sustained severe injuries requiring at least six weeks of recovery, and is expected to suffer from long-term jaw movement restrictions and chronic pain even after treatment.
The police officer who fired the tear gas at Edan is currently suspended from duty and under investigation by prosecutors.
Edan's legal team is arguing that the officer, whose identity has not been disclosed, should be indicted for attempted murder.
Accounts regarding the suppression situation also conflict.
The officer in question stated that he believed a fellow officer was in danger at the time the tear gas was fired, and prosecutors view Edan as having been part of the protesters.
However, according to teachers and other witnesses present at the scene, Edan did not participate in the protest.
On the day of the protest, Edan sent a text message to his mother saying that the roads were blocked and he was on his way home, and he was also seen watching the situation and recording a video from a parking lot about 50 meters away from the protest site.
Furthermore, the high school Edan attends is a vocational training institution mainly attended by boys from low-income families, and Edan was a new student who had enrolled just a few weeks prior.
This incident sparked nationwide outrage in France, triggering even more violent demonstrations.
In addition, French prosecutors and oversight bodies are currently investigating at least 34 suspected cases of police misconduct during the suppression of the protests, The New York Times reported.
The French Interior Ministry stated that these cases include an incident where a 15-year-old boy's left hand was amputated due to a police stun grenade explosion, and another where a 16-year-old boy was taken to the hospital with injuries presumed to have been caused by a rubber bullet hitting his eye.
The New York Times pointed out that police actions against teenagers like Edan further rallied students and citizens nationwide, providing them with additional justification to protest, which in turn worsened riots including store lootings.
Some critics note that excessive force by French police has been repeatedly observed over the past few years.
During the Yellow Vest movement in France from 2018 to 2020, there were also cases where protesters lost an eye after being hit by police-fired rubber bullets.
Sébastian Roché, a researcher at the French National Centre for Scientific Research, noted that the government's law enforcement methods, which have evolved over the past decade, are being applied directly to teenagers today, urging the government to re-evaluate the use of such weapons.
(Photo: Getty Images)
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