The French prosecutor’s office has opened an investigation for attempted murder after incendiary bottles were thrown at police during riots. The attack occurred during Saturday’s protests, and footage of a police officer with his leg on fire sparked public outrage.
The officer sustained burns to his ankle and minor injuries to his hand. He told the French newspaper Le Figaro that it was a "particularly sophisticated" incendiary device. Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said that throwing a Molotov cocktail at a police line constitutes "what I call attempted murder". He added that police are working to identify the perpetrators.
The officer is part of the National Gendarmerie, a national police force that is formally part of the military but under the control of the Ministry of the Interior. According to him, his unit "suddenly found itself facing several hundred hostile, well-equipped opponents". He highlighted that police have not yet identified the liquid used, but that the incendiary device "had a much greater burning power than a standard Molotov cocktail".
"We faced hostile individuals who are not protesters," the officer said, adding: "These opponents are there with the intention of harming those who represent the state." According to him, 14 other police officers sustained injuries ranging from minor to serious, and some were hit by paving stones. The unit was supposed to be on leave but was urgently called to duty due to the weekend protests.
Hundreds of thousands of people protested across France on Saturday in largely peaceful demonstrations. These are the latest in a series of youth-led protests that began in late September, demanding action over high cost of living and poor public services, particularly in schools. Thousands of police officers were deployed across the country over the weekend. In some cities, police fired tear gas at demonstrators.
The French Ministry of the Interior stated that there were more than 770 arrests on Saturday, roughly half the number of arrests at the previous week’s protests. Police stated that no one had been arrested for the attack captured on camera in which the officer was set alight, AFP reports.
French protest organisers, the Gilets Jaunes or Yellow Vests, stated that dozens of protesters were seriously injured during recent demonstrations across the country, and many were injured by "grenades". France suspended the use of one type of flash-bat during police monitoring of student protests in early October after a 15-year-old had his arm severed. The French newspaper Le Monde reported that police continued to use another model in later protests.
Protests were also held in Germany and Italy over the weekend. Youth-led protests continue across parts of Europe, with various demands but generally linked to a focus on cost of living and public services issues.
