The French Interior Minister, Laurent Nuñez, assured on Friday that stun grenades, banned in recent student protests following the incident in which a teenager lost their hand to one of them, can indeed be used during the various demonstrations called for this Saturday. This was stated on the eve of a large protest day in the country, in which, besides students, other groups, in protest of the high cost of living, including ‘yellow vests’, which caused significant disturbances in 2019, will participate. «Police and gendarmes can use the entire range of intermediate weapons at their disposal, which includes from tear gas grenades to the ball launcher for defense in a context of extreme difficulty, when the situation shifts to urban violence or disturbances,» explained Nuñez on France 2 television. The minister noted that this instruction includes stun grenades, which he said are «rarely used» by law enforcement but can be «used» if «extremely grave urban violence» occurs. «Stun grenades are not used to maintain order in a demonstration when everything is going well.» «In an extremely degraded context, if there were confrontations, which I hope is not the case, if there were serious and tough confrontations, all types of intermediate weapons could be used,» he insisted. 250 calls on networks and 80 demonstrations. He assured that the demonstrations held on Saturday are different from the ones that high school students have been organizing for a little over two weeks, in which the police actions have been heavily criticized for their harshness. Nuñez stated that they have identified around 250 calls to action through social networks and 80 protests, half of which have already requested permission from authorities and asked the remaining ones to do so as it helps maintain order. The minister deplored that at the end of many of these protests, «far-left elements» interfere, causing confrontations with law enforcement and public degradation, and stated that in the event of such occurrences, there will be police intervention.
The French Interior Minister points out that these weapons are rarely used by agents but that «they can be used» if there are any confrontations.
20MINUTOS.ES – Internacional
The French Interior Minister, Laurent Nuñez, assured on Friday that stun grenades, banned in recent student protests following the incident in which a teenager lost their hand to one of them, can indeed be used during the various demonstrations called for this Saturday. This was stated on the eve of a large protest day in the country, in which, besides students, other groups, in protest of the high cost of living, including ‘yellow vests’, which caused significant disturbances in 2019, will participate. «Police and gendarmes can use the entire range of intermediate weapons at their disposal, which includes from tear gas grenades to the ball launcher for defense in a context of extreme difficulty, when the situation shifts to urban violence or disturbances,» explained Nuñez on France 2 television. The minister noted that this instruction includes stun grenades, which he said are «rarely used» by law enforcement but can be «used» if «extremely grave urban violence» occurs. «Stun grenades are not used to maintain order in a demonstration when everything is going well.» «In an extremely degraded context, if there were confrontations, which I hope is not the case, if there were serious and tough confrontations, all types of intermediate weapons could be used,» he insisted. 250 calls on networks and 80 demonstrations. He assured that the demonstrations held on Saturday are different from the ones that high school students have been organizing for a little over two weeks, in which the police actions have been heavily criticized for their harshness. Nuñez stated that they have identified around 250 calls to action through social networks and 80 protests, half of which have already requested permission from authorities and asked the remaining ones to do so as it helps maintain order. The minister deplored that at the end of many of these protests, «far-left elements» interfere, causing confrontations with law enforcement and public degradation, and stated that in the event of such occurrences, there will be police intervention.
