Tens of thousands of “yellow vest” protesters marched across France on Saturday – three months since the movement began, and in a week that has seen growing international concern at police treatment of the protesters.
According to the interior ministry, 41,500 demonstrators turned out across the country for the fourteenth consecutive weekend, well down on the 282,000 peak during the protests’ early weeks.
On Thursday, deputies in the European Parliament passed a resolution condemning the disproportionate use of force against protesters – after a debate about the use of LBDs.
Jerome Rodrigues (left), one of the movement’s better-known figures, is suing the police after being struck in the eye by a projectile he says was fired from a police Defensive Ball Launcher (LBD).
The supposedly ‘less lethal’ gun that riot police use against protesters in France is really dangerous as it is known to cause serious injuries.
In fact, LBDs are prohibited in riot control in most Western European countries – but French law enforcement had been equipped with them for decades.
At least 20 people lost their eyes as a result of LBD fire and grenade shrapnel, according to anti-police brutality group Desarmons-Les! The group documented more than 120 cases of people they say were injured by police using so-called ‘less-lethal’ weapons, mostly LBD 40s and GLI-F4 instant tear-gas grenades.
Marketed as 'less-lethal' or 'non-lethal,' the original LBDs were developed by the French firearms company Verney-Carron. The police got the first batch of 500 LBDs in 1995. They fired ping-pong-sized balls and were intended to counter urban violence.
The LBD "delivers punches like Mike Tyson", its creator, ballistic expert Pierre Richert, said at the time. He claimed that the projectiles "hurt but do less damage than a police pistol".
The current Swiss-made model, LBD 40, was adopted by the French police back in 2009. It shoots 40mm (1.6-inch) rubber or foam slugs at a speed of up to 100 meters per second. It can also launch tear gas and stun grenades.
Known as 'Flash-Balls', they grew to symbolize the weapon of choice in the fight against the yellow vests.
The police have used LBDs more than 9,200 times since the Yellow Vest protests began in November.
Initially a grassroots movement against planned fuel-tax hikes, the rallies grew to include calls for the resignation of President Emmanuel Macron. They sometimes descended into fierce street battles with police, with multiple injuries on both sides. Recent rallies saw protesters denouncing 'Flash-Balls,' which have become the symbol of police brutality.
I wonder aloud how long can the yellow vests continue with their protests.
I must mention that a poll of 1,001 people published by Elabe on Wednesday suggested for the first time that most people (56%) would like the protests to end, even if a majority (58%) still support what the movement stands for.
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