In France, police are facing accusations of using excessive force against underage demonstrators during student protests. Incidents involving severe injuries to multiple minors have deepened the growing tension and distrust between the police and youth. According to 17-year-old Enzo, a police officer grabbed his arm while another struck him from behind with a baton. His head was drenched in blood and he had to be admitted to the hospital, where his wounds were stitched. 14-year-old Eden is currently unable to speak. His jaw was severely broken after a police officer fired a tear gas grenade at his face in Saint-Ouen-l'Aumône. 16-year-old Maël has also suffered damage to the vision in his right eye. According to him, a rubber bullet fired by the police struck his eye. In mid-September, French high school students began protesting against the education system, stating that it failed to meet their needs. Since then, police tactics have come under scrutiny. Lawyers and protesters speaking to Al Jazeera accused the police of fueling violence and resentment instead of de-escalating tensions. French authorities have defended the police actions, calling them necessary; however, experts and lawyers say that violence against young protesters could further widen the gulf between the state and its citizens. Ainoha Pascual, a lawyer at the Paris Bar, said, "They are losing an entire generation. The government is adopting a strategy of instilling fear. When you maim or severely injure someone, it means that person and the people around them will not participate in protests again."

What started as demonstrations against the education system has now turned into a nationwide protest movement. Late last week, violent clashes took place between protesters and police at several locations. In Enzo's case, videos verified by Al Jazeera show a peaceful group of teachers forming a human chain in front of the students. Police officers break through this cordon, advance, and rain baton blows at close range while also using pepper spray. The screams of terrified people can be heard in the videos. Enzo said, "I am still in shock. Instead of protecting us, they are attacking us." According to Eden's lawyer, Elsa Marcel, at the time of the incident, the boy was sitting alone on a low wall a few meters away from the school protest, looking at his mobile phone, when three police officers approached him. Videos of the incident show one police officer apparently striking the youth with a baton, followed by another officer firing a tear gas grenade at his face. According to Marcel, the grenade was fired from a distance of about one and a half meters. She alleged that the police officers left the injured boy on the ground and did not even inform emergency services. Eden's family has filed a complaint alleging attempted murder. Mathilde Lante, Enzo's lawyer and member of the Collective for Legal Action (CAJ), said, "Such an incident during this social movement is unprecedented, especially because all the victims are minors."

French authorities have rejected allegations of police repression during the high school student protests, stating that hundreds of law enforcement personnel have also been injured. In early October, Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said that police officers had not been instructed to refrain from using force, but the use of force must remain proportionate. That same month, the Ministry of Justice directed prosecutorial authorities to take swift and strict action regarding incidents of violence during the protests. This included instructions to consider the civil legal responsibility of parents for the actions of their minor children. Meanwhile, France's police watchdog, the IGPN, has launched investigations into 36 cases of alleged corruption and abuse of power. According to Ministry of Interior figures, approximately 6,900 people have been taken into police custody since the protests began, 86 percent of whom are minors.

However, rather than demoralizing the protesters, this harsh police attitude appears to be strengthening their movement. Late last week, more than 500,000 people took to the streets, with nearly 100,000 protesting in the capital, Paris, alone. During the demonstrations, a slogan was repeatedly chanted: "We are young enough not to be taken seriously, but old enough to be beaten." On Saturday, police used tear gas and stun grenades even before the protest march began. Critics say this action set a tense tone for the entire day. In Paris, police blocked the exits leading out of the square, leaving only a few narrow paths open for people.

As a result, thousands of people were trapped, and due to the pressure of the crowd, some people began experiencing dizziness and panic attacks. Experts describe this tactic in French as "kettling" (la nasse), which is the act of surrounding protesters and confining them in a limited space. Human rights organizations have long criticized this procedure, as it can negatively impact freedom of movement and the right to protest. The student-led protest has also highlighted a broader social discontent present in France. The country is already facing financial and political crises, and now social tensions are also rising. Incidents of violence and vandalism have also come to light in some places on the streets of Paris. On Saturday and Sunday night, some groups of youths vandalized shops, set them on fire, and looted them. Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu said on Monday, "For the past three weeks, we have been hearing that the police are beating or injuring people. But for the last two days, we are being asked what the police are doing? This is a particular kind of French mental conflict."

In France, the police have faced criticism for the use of force before as well. During the "Yellow Vest" movement, which began in 2018 against the rise in diesel prices, protesters wore yellow jackets to demonstrate. This movement later turned into a widespread social protest. During this time, the police faced criticism over incidents of protesters being severely injured due to the use of rubber bullets and stun grenades. Following the incident in June 2023 in Nanterre, where 17-year-old Nahel Merzouk was killed by a police bullet during a traffic check, riots broke out for several days. This incident reignited the debate over racially motivated police checks and police violence. Environmental activists have also accused the police of using disproportionate force. Particularly during the protest against the water reservoir in Sainte-Soline in 2023, dozens of people, including protesters and police personnel, were injured. Human rights organizations, including Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International, have also repeatedly expressed concern about the police's use of excessive force and restrictions on the right to protest.

According to Paolo Stuppia, a sociology lecturer at Sciences Po University in Paris and co-author of the book "Géopolitique de la jeunesse," tension between protesters and the police has increased during the tenure of French President Emmanuel Macron. He said, "What was previously confined to suburban areas or autonomous activist groups is now being applied to everyone. There is an atmosphere of mistrust between protesters and the police, and it is growing because police repression is now affecting far more people."

According to lawyer Pasquale, the intensity of police violence is deeply connected to the use of weapons for crowd control that can cause permanent disability and lifelong injuries. Weapons firing rubber bullets and explosive grenades have been a major part of the ongoing controversy over police tactics in France. He said, "This is truly what we call the 'French style' of crowd control. Specific weapons are used in it, including those referred to as non-lethal, but in reality, they can also cause loss of life."

Interior Minister Nuñez had suspended the use of stun grenades after a young man lost his hand. However, prior to Saturday's protest march, he stated that they could be used in the case of violence in urban areas. According to him, "When conditions are normal, these weapons are never used." But on Saturday, they were used extensively. Al Jazeera journalists present at the scene observed that the police fired tear gas and stun grenades repeatedly long before the march began. Pasquale questioned whether the use of force really helps to restore law and order. According to him, efforts to de-escalate tension could restore trust between the police and protesters. He said, "When you see videos of police officers putting their shields down and taking off their helmets, what do you see? The protesters in front of them stop and applaud. This does not happen in France."