French lawyers to sue interior minister over protester ‘mutilations’

Lawyers have announced plans to sue French interior minister Laurent Nunez over alleged police brutality during recent protests in France. The lawyers represent at least 18 victims who claim they suffered severe injuries, including several demonstrators who were hit in the eye. These protests have been ongoing for weeks, less than six months before presidential elections, with the far right leading the polls.

Rights activists have accused police of using excessive force, following incidents such as a 15-year-old losing a hand to a crowd-control grenade. Nunez maintains that police acted with "the greatest proportionality" during protests, but has acknowledged using "intermediate" crowd-control means like grenades and tear gas.

The lawyers intend to file a complaint with the Court of Justice of the Republic (CJR), the only court able to handle cases against sitting government members. While the likelihood of an investigation is slim, the lawyers stress the urgency of preventing further mutilations, particularly among children.

Nunez has stated that police officers used force within a "legal and regulatory framework." Since mid-September, at least 20 people, including teenagers, have been seriously injured by rubber-coated projectile balls or grenades during protests. As of October 30, police had opened 105 internal investigations into alleged police brutality, with 52 linked to high school student movements and 48 to mass protests on October 17 and 18.