French police face scrutiny after student injured by tear gas canister

A 14-year-old identified as Eden suffered a broken jaw and smashed teeth after being hit in the face by a tear gas canister fired at close range by a police officer last week in Saint-Ouen-l'Aumône, north of Paris. The teenager had been sitting on a wall looking at his phone metres from a student protest when an officer struck him with a baton, prompting a kick in response, according to the local prosecutor. A second officer then fired the grenade using a Cougar launcher. Lawyer Elsa Marcel said the officer left the boy on the ground without calling emergency services; the family has filed a complaint for attempted murder.

The officer was placed under formal investigation on Tuesday on charges of assault by a public official resulting in permanent disability, eight days after the incident. The case is one of 24 being examined by the IGPN internal police watchdog linked to more than two weeks of student unrest over school conditions. Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu described the demonstrations as the most violent in decades.

“(The officer) shot him in the mouth and left him lying on the ground, without even calling the emergency services”

The incident has renewed demands to withdraw rubber bullets and grenade launchers, which are banned by police in many other European countries and have been repeatedly criticised by Amnesty International and UN experts as dangerous and disproportionate. Public anger has fuelled support for a mass mobilisation planned for Saturday, October 17, merging student grievances with anger over living costs and a fuel crisis exacerbated by the war in Iran.

Jean-Luc Mélenchon, leader of the La France Insoumise party, urged students to adopt peaceful strategies for the October 17 protests. A police spokesperson declined to comment on ongoing investigations, while the prosecutor's office stated the student had confronted officers who tried to push him back.