French authorities have launched 24 investigations into allegations of police violence against teenagers since the start of a high school protest movement on September 21, with several students suffering serious injuries during blockades and demonstrations across the country.
Knee Strike Caught on Camera
The General Inspectorate of the National Police (IGPN), France’s police watchdog, was seized once again after an officer was filmed striking a demonstrator in the face with his knee during a protest at Place de la Bastille in Paris on Thursday, October 8.
Video footage circulating on social media shows two police officers restraining a demonstrator wearing a light-colored tracksuit and bringing him to the ground. One officer delivers a knee strike to the young man’s face during the intervention.
In images captured by AFP at the scene, the two officers handcuff the young man lying on the ground before lifting him up. His face is covered in blood, and the hood of his sweatshirt, which had been over his head during the arrest, is stained with blood.
Prosecutors Open Investigation
The Paris prosecutor’s office confirmed it had decided to task the IGPN with an investigation into charges of “violence by a person holding public authority causing incapacity for work exceeding eight days during a demonstration on a public road.”
“This brings to five the number of investigations entrusted by the Paris prosecutor’s office to the IGPN for acts of violence by persons holding public authority in the context of the high school blockade movement,” the prosecutor’s office stated.
Lawyer Describes ‘Unprecedented’ Violence
The violence depicted in the images is “unprecedented,” said attorney Ilyacine Maallaoui, who represents the demonstrator and has filed a complaint.
The footage “shows an 18-year-old brought to the ground, controlled by a police officer positioned behind him who is maintaining pressure on his neck with his left arm. A second officer then delivers a knee strike directly to his face,” the lawyer described.
“These images reveal both the absence of any necessity for this gesture and its deliberate nature. The investigation will naturally run its course,” he added.
“No prior event, no recontextualization of the chronology could justify or excuse a gesture of such violence. My client and his family are determined to obtain justice. Nothing more, nothing less,” Maallaoui stated.
Nationwide Student Mobilization
Across France, high school students have been mobilizing to denounce deteriorating teaching conditions and demand greater resources to replace absent teachers and renovate heavily damaged or dilapidated school buildings.
The protest movement has seen students organize blockades of schools and demonstrations in cities throughout the country, with tensions escalating between law enforcement and young demonstrators in recent weeks.
- 24 IGPN investigations opened since September 21
- 5 investigations specifically assigned by Paris prosecutors
- Multiple students seriously injured during protests
- Demonstrations continue nationwide over education funding
