Videos of alleged police violence are going viral on French social media as a wave of protests grips France. One video shows the police beating a man to the floor then dragging him away unconscious. Another shows an officer grabbing a young man from behind, seemingly unprovoked, and dragging him by the neck.
Another shows a young woman being hauled off with a twisted arm, screaming in pain. These videos could not be independently verified. The French police have drawn renewed criticism from rights groups, not only because of their methods but also because of their use of stun grenades and rubber bullets.
France has one of the most heavily armed police forces in Europe. During the student protests of the past weeks, several teenagers sustained life-changing injuries as a result: One had a hand blown off, one was blinded in one eye, another had his jaw broken. More than half a million people took to the streets in France on Saturday, most of whom protested peacefully, criticizing public sector cuts, the cost-of-living crisis and supporting students' demands for better conditions in classrooms.
Rioters took advantage, burning buildings, looting stores and lobbing projectiles at the police, creating a difficult situation for the officers and other emergency services. The protests over the weekend followed a series of protests by high-school students, who barricaded school buildings to denounce a shortage of teachers and demand repairs to crumbling infrastructure. More protests will be happening this weekend, with the French government saying it will even deploy military forces.
The French police have a bigger arsenal than most European countries. For instance, officers use the so-called LBD-40, a type of gun used to fire rubber bullets. Many countries, like the UK and Germany, mostly do not allow the use of rubber bullets in protests.
In some European countries, like Spain, they are sometimes used but cause fewer injuries than in France. "It is not a French specificity. But there are guidelines.
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