French Officer Charged Over Injuring Teenager With Projectile During Student Protests

French judicial authorities officially charged a police officer on October 6 with committing violence leading to mutilation or permanent disability, following the severe injury of a 14-year-old boy by a projectile during student demonstrations, according to Le Monde. The local public prosecutor's office announced that the officer was released under strict judicial supervision, barring him from public-facing duties, prohibiting work, and imposing a total ban on carrying or possessing weapons. The incident occurred on September 28 near the student's high school, when three officers approached, pushed, and struck him with a baton before one fired a projectile at close range into his face. The impact fractured his jaw and knocked out most of his teeth, sparking widespread public outrage. Due to the severity of the trauma, the teenager underwent multiple surgical operations, having his jaw wired shut for several weeks, which rendered him entirely unable to speak throughout his treatment. These events come amid escalating student protests that spread from Paris suburbs to multiple educational institutions nationwide over teacher shortages, overcrowded classrooms, deteriorating infrastructure, and budget curbs, amid mounting clashes and condemnation of police force.