Injuries from grenades in demonstrations

StreetPress has identified 19 cases of serious injuries involving grenades used by law enforcement on October 17 and 24. Some of these injuries are caused by penetrating shrapnel, contrary to the positions of the Ministry of the Interior and the manufacturer.

Young student seriously injured in Lyon

On October 17, Matthieu, a 23-year-old engineering school student, was seriously injured at Place Bellecour in Lyon (69) after a grenade fell "from the air and bounce off the shoulder of a demonstrator" before "exploding upon falling on [his] thigh." According to his emergency report, the injury left him with a "large, ragged wound of six to eight centimeters" on the inner side of his right thigh, while a metal fragment "about one centimeter" became lodged in his left thigh.

Suspension of grenade use in Lens

In Lens (62), a high school student had a hand severed during high school mobilizations, prompting Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez to temporarily suspend the use of the ASSD grenade (Alsetex brand) fired from a launcher, at least until the investigation and within the context of high school mobilizations. However, the suspension did not last long, and Nuñez later defended the use of "all types of intermediate weapons" by police and gendarmerie.

Multiple injuries from grenade use

The use of these grenades during the high school mobilization days and against the cost of living has caused numerous injuries. Some cases were quickly publicized, especially in the case of amputations. In Mulhouse (68), a 17-year-old student lost the vision of her left eye after being hit by a tear gas grenade, while in Saint-Etienne (42), a 17-year-old demonstrator had his hand torn off by an unidentified grenade.

Injuries in Marseille

In Marseille (13), Oliv, 21, a social worker, was seriously injured on October 17. From photos obtained by StreetPress, the young woman appears lying on the pavement during her care by the firefighters. Two large white plastic cylinders are lodged inside her right leg, which is open with a large wound of "six centimeters in depth and six centimeters in width." She did not see the grenade, which fell from the air, before the object exploded near her legs.

Other victims in Marseille

Suzanne, 31, was hit by a grenade at the intersection between the Canebière and the Dugommier Boulevard in Marseille. The shock wave inflicted her with a quadruple fracture on her left foot, behind a 11-centimeter wound closed with a dozen stitches. She was placed on sick leave for two months "at a minimum" and can only move with a crutch or a wheelchair. Laura, 34, who came to "take photos" and was "not the type to run away," was also hit by an explosion. She suffered from a "ragged wound" on her left ankle with "tissue loss"—a hole in the flesh—"four centimeters by five."

Analysis of grenade components

In the case of Oliv, two specialists in law enforcement maintenance interviewed by StreetPress about the foreign bodies found in her wound point to the tear gas and deafening grenade "GM2L," specifically its "interposition disc" located between the red explosive charge and the gray casing ejected before the explosion. The appearance of the two debris is indeed similar to those left by a GM2L that exploded in an apartment on October 24 in Rennes.

Manufacturer's claims

The manufacturer Alsetex assures in its technical notice that the weapon produces "no shrapnel." An argument repeated in 2018 by Christophe Castaner, the then Interior Minister. The model gradually replaces the GLI-F4 grenade, responsible for numerous injuries to Yellow Vest demonstrators. In total, five cases identified by StreetPress involve shrapnel from grenades found in the wounds of victims.

Injury from tear gas grenade in Paris

In Paris, it is a tear gas grenade that is implicated in another serious injury. Alaric, 19, a student in economics and management, was hit by a tear gas grenade launched in "tensioned fire," according to him. The projectiles, which disperse the gas by combustion, then set his clothes on fire. He claims that no threat justified such a shot at that moment. The severity of his injury is directly attributable to the "tensioned" shot: "The curve not having been respected, the grenade did not have time to explode in the air and exploded on me, releasing the four pellets on me." The police prefecture did not follow up on the case of Alaric in Paris.