A 14-year-old boy suffered a broken jaw and lost multiple teeth after being struck at close range by a tear gas canister fired from a Cougar launcher during student demonstrations in France, intensifying scrutiny of police conduct. The incident occurred in Saint-Ouen-l’Aumone, where the teenager was reportedly sitting on a wall away from the main protest when an officer approached him with a baton. According to local prosecutors, Eden responded by kicking the officer, prompting a second officer to fire the grenade directly into his face.
Elsa Marcel, the family’s lawyer, stated that the officer left the boy unconscious without summoning emergency services. Eden’s family has filed a complaint accusing the officer of attempted murder. The officer involved has been placed under formal investigation for assault by a public official resulting in permanent disability. A police spokesperson declined to comment on the ongoing legal proceedings.
This case is among 24 under review by the IGPN, France’s internal police watchdog, linked to the policing of more than two weeks of student unrest over school conditions. Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu has characterized the demonstrations as the most violent in decades. The violence has also drawn concern from the United Nations and reignited political tensions ahead of the 2027 presidential election.
Reports from Reuters document 28 injury cases attributed to police force, 15 of which are under IGPN investigation. These incidents involve rubber bullets, stun grenades, tear gas, batons, and mounted charges. In two separate cases, students lost or permanently damaged eyesight after being hit by rubber bullets. Additionally, a 15-year-old in Lens suffered the amputation of his hand, likely caused by a stun grenade, leading Interior Minister Laurent Nunez to pause the use of such devices pending an investigation.
Nunez noted that approximately 200 students have been injured but argued that police action was rarely the direct cause. He emphasized that the primary role of law enforcement is to protect high school students. Authorities also reported that 700 police officers have been injured, schools have been burned or ransacked, and nearly 7,000 people have been arrested, the majority of whom are minors.
Sebastian Roche, a policing researcher at the French National Centre for Scientific Research, described France as an anomaly in Europe due to its heavy reliance on “less lethal” weapons. He highlighted that countries such as Britain, Italy, and Germany largely exclude these tools from public order policing, while Spain permits them but records fewer injuries. Roche pointed out that four irreversible injuries involving minors occurred within just 12 days, a scale he termed unprecedented in contemporary French history.
Human rights organizations, including Amnesty International, and some politicians are calling for a permanent ban on rubber bullets and stun grenades. Bally Bagayoko, a mayor from the left-wing France Unbowed party, urged authorities to withdraw these weapons to achieve zero student injuries and de-escalate tensions. Meanwhile, police unions argue that intermediate force options are essential for officer safety. Thierry Clair, a union representative, described severe injuries as tragedies but maintained that removing non-lethal tools would leave police with no option but lethal force.
Twenty-eight injuries in two weeks is alarming. The UN’s concern seems well-founded given the severity of these cases.
Police unions argue they need these tools for safety, but does that justify permanent disability for minors? Seems like a dangerous precedent.
As a parent, reading about a 14-year-old hospitalized frightens me. De-escalation should always come first.
A child losing teeth is unacceptable. Why do France and not other European nations rely so heavily on these weapons?