Top French court upholds police use of controversial riot guns

Paris: France’s top administrative court ruled on Friday that police could continue using a rubber bullet launcher blamed for dozens of injuries during the “yellow vest” protests which have roiled the country since November. The CGT labour union and the Human Rights League NGO had filed the complaint seeking a ban on the weapons, which shoot 40-millimeter rubber projectiles that are considered non-lethal. Their representatives argued this week that the rubber bullets had been fired some 9,200 times since the anti-government protests began, causing severe injuries in many cases. The Desarmons-Les (Disarm Them) collective, which campaigns against police violence, claims that 20 protesters have lost an eye from the devices.
Such weapons are prohibited for use in riot control in most Western European countries. But the Council of State said that the threat of violence during the yellow vest protests being held on Saturdays in Paris and other cities rendered their use by police necessary. “Contrary to what the applicants claimed, the organisation of operations to maintain order during the recent demonstrations did not indicate any intention by the authorities not to respect the strict rules governing the use” of such “less-lethal weapons,” the court said. Use of the specialised “defence ball launchers” (LBDs) “is particularly appropriate for responding to these types of situations, as long as the rules governing their use are respected,” it said.