Severe injuries at French student protests draw scrutiny to police tactics

Fourteen-year-old Eden suffered a ​broken jaw and multiple smashed teeth when he was struck by a tear gas canister directed towards him at close range by a police officer last week during student protests in France, his parents and family lawyer said. Read moreFrench students vow to keep up protests as UN voices 'concern' over violence The teenager had been sitting on a wall looking at his phone metres away from the protest in Saint-Ouen-l'Aumone, the lawyer said. An officer approached him and struck him with a baton, prompting Eden to respond with a kick, according to the local prosecutor. A ​second officer then fired a ‌tear gas grenade with a Cougar launcher, hitting him in the face. "(The officer) shot him in the mouth and left him lying on the ground, without even calling the emergency ⁠services," said lawyer Elsa Marcel. The family, who asked for Eden's second name to be withheld to protect their privacy, has filed a complaint for attempted murder, she said. A police spokesperson said they do not comment on ongoing investigations. According to the prosecutor’s office, the police officer said that he was seeking to protect himself and his colleagues ‌after the student confront...