Paris Prosecutors Open Attempted Murder Probe After Molotov Cocktails Thrown at Security Forces

France, which has been responding strongly to violent protests, is investigating the throwing of Molotov cocktails at security personnel during a demonstration in Paris on October 31 local time as attempted murder.

According to AFP, the Paris Public Prosecutor's Office announced on November 1 that it has launched an investigation into "attempted murder against persons holding public authority," stating that "explosive devices were thrown toward 15 police officers and gendarmes."

According to Paris police, hundreds of people threw objects, including Molotov cocktails, at police and military police officers responsible for security during the previous day's protest.

Media footage from the previous day showed a shocking scene in eastern Paris where an improvised device detonated near the feet of a gendarme, causing flames to instantly engulf the lower half of his body.

Prosecutors stated that the extent of the gendarme's injuries is still being evaluated.

At the same time, they reported that the injuries from the protests included second-degree burns.

In an anonymous interview with local radio RTL, the gendarme recalled that numerous objects such as glass bottles, stones, glass shards, and Molotov cocktails rained down toward his unit, expressing the agony he felt at the time: "I could feel the flammable substance spreading over my skin. It felt like my entire body was engulfed in heat."

In France, where large-scale protests by students, labor unions, and civic groups took place for the third consecutive weekend the day before, 320,000 people took to the streets.

This is a decrease from the 550,000 people on October 17, the first weekend of protests, and 410,000 on October 24 of the same month.

Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez criticized that while the protests proceeded relatively well overall, "unprecedented violence" occurred toward the end.

The French Ministry of the Interior stated that 779 people were arrested in connection with the protests.

The number of injured security personnel, including police, was tallied at 159.

The number of arrests on this day decreased significantly compared to October 24 (1,314 people) and October 17 (2,628 people).

The number of stores that suffered property damage and looting also decreased.

According to the Paris Chamber of Commerce, about 20 stores sustained damage.

Marine Le Pen, a leading far-right presidential hopeful from the National Rally, urged on X that those responsible for the Molotov cocktail attacks be severely punished.

(Photo: AP, Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.