French lawyers to sue interior minister over 'mutilation' of young protesters

Lawyers representing at least 18 people injured during protests in France in recent weeks say they intend to file a complaint against Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez over his alleged responsibility for police brutality.

Issued on: 06/11/2026 - 15:39

Around 20 serious injuries have been recorded during demonstrations by school and university students, and the wider movement against the cost of living, since mid-September, according to a tally by French news agency AFP.

They include the loss of hands and eyes, facial fractures and deep shrapnel wounds caused by police rubber-bullet launchers and grenades, notably during protests on 17 October.

"We now believe it is imperative to target the person responsible for these mutilations and massive damage, namely Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez," lawyer Arie Alimi told a press conference on Friday.

Alimi accused Nunez of ordering the use of weapons that he knew could cause permanent injuries and that, in the lawyer's view, should not be used to police demonstrations.

He said the collective complaint would be submitted within three weeks to the Court of Justice of the Republic (CJR), which has jurisdiction over alleged offences committed by government ministers in the course of their duties.

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Tracing responsibility

"Not all the cases are at the same stage," said lawyer Elsa Marcel, who represents, among others, a 14-year-old who suffered a serious jaw injury after being hit at close range by a projectile from a grenade launcher outside a school in Saint-Ouen-l'Aumône, north-west of Paris.

"We will be requesting investigative steps to trace the chain of responsibility," she added.

So far, around 10 of the lawyers' clients have agreed to sign the collective complaint, the lawyers told reporters.

Alimi said potential charges against Nuñez could include "intentional violence resulting in mutilation" or "complicity by instigation".

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Following the unrest on 17 October, which led to more than 1,300 arrests and several convictions, Nuñez admitted that police had "lost control".

As of 30 October, police had opened 52 internal investigations relating to the student protests, including 48 concerning violence on 17 and 18 October.

Among the victims is a 16-year-old who permanently lost sight in one eye during a high-school blockade in Tours on 30 September. Prosecutors said the injury was consistent with the use of a rubber-bullet launcher.

Another teenager, aged 17, lost his right hand in a grenade explosion in Saint-Étienne on 17 October.

(with newswires)

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