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Lawyers representing protesters wounded during a wave of demonstrations across France have announced plans to take Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez to court over alleged police brutality and the use of weapons that have caused serious injuries.
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Speaking at a press conference on Friday, 6 November, lawyer Arié Alimi said the legal action would target the minister’s alleged responsibility for the use of weapons that have left demonstrators mutilated.
“We now believe it is imperative to target the person responsible for these mutilations and massive damage, namely Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez,” Alimi said.
The lawyers intend to lodge a collective complaint with the Court of Justice of the Republic (CJR), the only French court with jurisdiction over alleged offences committed by sitting government ministers in the exercise of their duties.
Controversy over the use of police weapons
They accuse Nuñez of authorising the use of weapons that he allegedly knew could cause permanent injuries and were unsuitable for maintaining public order.
“We are collectively bringing a case before the CJR against Mr Laurent Nuñez for the orders he gave to use weapons which he knows to be mutilating,” Alimi said, adding that such weapons were not used for crowd control in other European countries.
Around 10 of the lawyers’ clients have already agreed to join the collective complaint, while the legal team represents at least 18 people injured during demonstrations in recent weeks.
Amputations and eye injuries: Teenagers among seriously wounded protesters
The legal action comes after weeks of unrest involving high school student blockades and larger demonstrations, with police crowd-control tactics increasingly coming under scrutiny.
According to an AFP count, at least 20 people, many of them teenagers, have suffered serious injuries since mid-September after being hit by police blast-ball launchers or grenades.
Among the most serious cases is that of a 17-year-old boy injured during a demonstration in Saint-Étienne on 17 October. His hand was severely damaged by a police grenade, leaving him with devastating injuries.
His lawyer, Yassine Bouzrou, has separately pursued legal action over the incident, including a complaint targeting the police officer involved and another concerning the minister’s alleged responsibility.
A Le Monde investigation published on 5 November also highlighted the extent of the injuries sustained during recent demonstrations, documenting cases involving amputations and severe eye damage.
The newspaper reported that three people had lost a hand and four had suffered serious eye injuries, raising further questions about the proportionality of police weapons used against demonstrators.
Student protests expand into wider social movement
The demonstrations initially began as a movement led by high school students demanding better learning conditions. However, they have since expanded into a broader wave of public discontent.
Rising living costs and anger over what protesters and rights activists describe as the excessive use of police force have helped draw other sections of society into the demonstrations.
Police have faced accusations of using disproportionate force, particularly during the larger protests held on 17 and 18 October.
The unrest comes at a politically sensitive moment for France, less than six months before elections to replace President Emmanuel Macron. Far-right parties are leading several opinion polls, adding to pressure on the government as it struggles to contain growing public dissatisfaction.
Questions over government responsibility
The Interior Ministry has also faced mounting scrutiny over police conduct. According to a source close to the case cited by AFP, police had opened 105 internal investigations into allegations of brutality as of 30 October.
Of these, 52 were linked to the high school student movement, 48 concerned violence during the mass demonstrations on 17 and 18 October, and five related to incidents on 24 October.
The lawyers’ complaint centres on the use of so-called blast-ball launchers and explosive grenades, weapons that have repeatedly been criticised by human rights organisations over the risk of serious and permanent injuries.
They argue that the government cannot avoid responsibility when police officers use weapons under orders and operational guidelines established by the Interior Ministry.
The controversy has revived questions about the legality and proportionality of France’s approach to crowd control, particularly when demonstrations involve young people.
Video editor • Lucy Davalou
Additional sources • AFP
