Lawyers for injured French protesters plan a complaint against Laurent Nuñez over police weapons; Nuñez says force was used within the law
Lawyers for at least 18 people injured in French protests since September plan a complaint against Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez over police weapons. Nuñez regrets the injuries but says police force stayed within the law.
Case period:
Published by The Dispute Index editorial teamPublished Updated
Overview
France has seen high-school blockades and cost-of-living protests since mid-September. According to an AFP count, police projectiles and crowd-control grenades have seriously injured at least 20 people, including teenagers, over that period. As of October 30, the national police inspectorate had opened 105 investigations into alleged police violence, 52 of them in connection with the high-school movement, according to a source AFP describes as close to the case. In October, lawyer Yassine Bouzrou filed two other complaints against Nuñez, one for a young person who lost a hand in Saint-Etienne on October 17 and one for a 20-year-old protester who lost two fingers in Toulouse on October 24. Alimi said the chance that the new complaint leads to an investigation is slim. LDH vice president Emmanuelle Jourdan-Chartier, speaking alongside the lawyers, called for a different approach to policing protests and a ban on what she called indiscriminate weapons of war.
People in this case
Laurent NuñezDirectly involved
Arié AlimiDirectly involved
Timeline
3 timeline entries on this page. Dates: November 6, 2026 to November 9, 2026
November 2026
Lawyers announce a complaint against Nuñez at the Court of Justice of the Republic
Claim
At a press conference in Paris, lawyers for at least 18 people seriously injured during the protests since mid-September say they will ask the Court of Justice of the Republic to prosecute Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez over the orders he gave to use weapons they say can mutilate.
[01]Agence France-Presse
AFP reports, in French, that lawyers for at least 18 people injured in protests since mid-September plan a collective complaint against Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez at the Court of Justice of the Republic, and quotes Nuñez's response at a press briefing that evening.
Manifestants blessés : des avocats annoncent saisir la CJR contre Laurent Nuñez · Agence France-PresseFull AFP dispatch, as published by Sud Radio[02]Agence France-Presse
AFP's English report on the lawyers' press conference, with Nuñez's response, the AFP count of seriously injured protesters and the number of internal police investigations opened as of October 30.
French lawyers to sue interior minister over protester 'mutilations' · Agence France-PresseFull AFP article, as published by CTV NewsNuñez says he is ready to answer any complaint
Reaction
At an evening press briefing, Nuñez says he regrets the injuries, that police and gendarmes use force within a legal and regulatory framework and that he is ready to answer any complaint filed against him.
[01]Agence France-Presse
AFP reports, in French, that lawyers for at least 18 people injured in protests since mid-September plan a collective complaint against Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez at the Court of Justice of the Republic, and quotes Nuñez's response at a press briefing that evening.
Manifestants blessés : des avocats annoncent saisir la CJR contre Laurent Nuñez · Agence France-PresseFull AFP dispatch, as published by Sud Radio[02]Agence France-Presse
AFP's English report on the lawyers' press conference, with Nuñez's response, the AFP count of seriously injured protesters and the number of internal police investigations opened as of October 30.
French lawyers to sue interior minister over protester 'mutilations' · Agence France-PresseFull AFP article, as published by CTV NewsLDH and student unions accuse the Interior Ministry of denying police violence
Reaction
The LDH and the student unions Unef and USL say the ministry refused at an October 29 meeting to acknowledge police violence against young protesters, and announce a new referral to UN human-rights bodies.
[03]Ligue des droits de l'Homme
In a joint statement, the LDH and the student unions Unef and USL say the Interior Ministry refused at an October 29 meeting to acknowledge police violence against young protesters, and announce a new referral to UN human-rights bodies.
Violences policières et attaques contre l'Etat de droit : face au déni du ministère de l'Intérieur, l'Unef, l'USL et la LDH saisissent à nouveau l'ONU · Ligue des droits de l'HommeJoint press release of November 9, 2026, full text
Claims
Claims separate what was said from what is contested. Follow each source for the original wording and context.
What's disputed
Disputed claim
Laurent Nuñez is responsible for serious injuries to protesters because he ordered police to use weapons he knew could mutilate.
What is disputed
Nuñez says police and gendarmes use force only within a legal and regulatory framework and that intermediate weapons such as grenades and tear gas are indispensable to their work. The lawyers plan to ask the Court of Justice of the Republic to prosecute him; Alimi said the chance that the complaint leads to an investigation is slim.
Sources (2)
- Manifestants blessés : des avocats annoncent saisir la CJR contre Laurent Nuñez · Agence France-PresseFull AFP dispatch, as published by Sud Radio
- French lawyers to sue interior minister over protester 'mutilations' · Agence France-PresseFull AFP article, as published by CTV News
Response record
Responses
Choose one response filter, or select All responses to see the full record.
3 responses. Newest first.
Ligue des droits de l'HommeFrench human-rights organization, in a joint statement with the student unions Unef and USLDirectly involvedBefore this statement
The groups say that when the Interior Ministry received high-school and student unions on October 29, the minister refused to acknowledge police violence since the start of the movement and maintained that the use of force had always been necessary and proportionate.
"He even went so far as to argue that the first ones hurt by these mutilations would be the police themselves, those who use their weapons. Faced with young people who have lost an eye or been seriously injured, such a statement is indecent. (Translated from French. Original: Il est allé jusqu'à avancer que les premiers meurtris de ces mutilations seraient les forces de l'ordre elles-mêmes, celles qui font usage de leurs armes. Face à des jeunes qui ont perdu un œil ou ont été grièvement touchés, une telle déclaration est indécente.)"
CondemnedResponding to: Laurent Nuñez is responsible for serious injuries to protesters because he ordered police to use weapons he knew could mutilate.
Full statement and sources
In a joint statement with two student unions, the LDH says the interior minister refused at an October 29 meeting to acknowledge police violence against young protesters, and calls a remark it attributes to him about the police being hurt by the mutilations indecent.
After the statement
The groups announce that they will again refer the situation to the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and the Committee on the Rights of the Child.
Violences policières et attaques contre l'Etat de droit : face au déni du ministère de l'Intérieur, l'Unef, l'USL et la LDH saisissent à nouveau l'ONU · Ligue des droits de l'HommeJoint press release of November 9, 2026, full textWhy this label?
The reference point is the use of crowd-control weapons such as grenades by French police and gendarmes, under Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez's orders, that seriously injured protesters since mid-September 2026. The LDH and the unions say the minister denies documented police violence, describe the injuries as resembling war wounds and call his remark indecent, which condemns the use of force under scrutiny.
This label describes the statement's response within the context above.
Arié AlimiParis lawyer for injured protesters and LDH vice president, at a press conference in ParisDirectly involvedBefore this statement
Lawyers for at least 18 people seriously injured during the protests since mid-September held a press conference in Paris to announce a collective complaint before the Court of Justice of the Republic, the only court that can try sitting ministers. Alimi said that until then the lawyers had filed complaints on serious charges.
"We now believe it is imperative to target the person responsible for the mutilations and the massive damage, namely the interior minister, Laurent Nuñez (Translated from French. Original: nous pensons aujourd'hui qu'il est impératif de viser celui qui est à l'origine des mutilations et des dégâts massifs, à savoir le ministre de l'Intérieur Laurent Nuñez)"
CondemnedResponding to: Laurent Nuñez is responsible for serious injuries to protesters because he ordered police to use weapons he knew could mutilate.
Full statement and sources
At a press conference in Paris, Alimi says the lawyers for injured protesters will now go after the interior minister himself, over the orders he gave to use weapons that the lawyers say he knows can mutilate.
After the statement
He said the complaint concerns the orders Nuñez gave to use weapons that he knows can mutilate and should not be used to police protests, and that it would be filed within about three weeks. He also said the chance that it leads to an investigation is slim.
Manifestants blessés : des avocats annoncent saisir la CJR contre Laurent Nuñez · Agence France-PresseFull AFP dispatch, as published by Sud RadioFrench lawyers to sue interior minister over protester 'mutilations' · Agence France-PresseFull AFP article, as published by CTV NewsWhy this label?
The reference point is the use of crowd-control weapons such as grenades by French police and gendarmes, under Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez's orders, that seriously injured protesters since mid-September 2026. Alimi holds Nuñez personally responsible for the injuries and says the lawyers will seek his prosecution, which condemns the use of force under scrutiny.
This label describes the statement's response within the context above.
Laurent NuñezFrench minister of the interior, at a press briefing at the Interior Ministry in ParisDirectly involvedBefore this statement
Reacting at a Friday evening press briefing on security arrangements for the next day's national protests, Nuñez said he would be ready to answer any complaint filed against him and that he was entirely calm about it.
"I regret that there were these injuries, I truly and very sincerely regret it, but every time police officers or gendarmes use force, it is because they are acting within a legal and regulatory framework (Translated from French. Original: Je regrette qu'il y ait eu ces blessés, je regrette vraiment et très sincèrement, mais chaque fois que les policiers ou gendarmes engagent la force, c'est qu'ils sont dans un cadre légal et réglementaire)"
Defended or excusedResponding to: Laurent Nuñez is responsible for serious injuries to protesters because he ordered police to use weapons he knew could mutilate.
Full statement and sources
Responding to the planned complaint at an evening press briefing, Nuñez says he sincerely regrets the injuries, maintains that police and gendarmes act within the legal framework whenever they use force, and says he is ready to answer any complaint.
After the statement
He added that intermediate weapons are indispensable to the work of the internal security forces.
Manifestants blessés : des avocats annoncent saisir la CJR contre Laurent Nuñez · Agence France-PresseFull AFP dispatch, as published by Sud RadioFrench lawyers to sue interior minister over protester 'mutilations' · Agence France-PresseFull AFP article, as published by CTV NewsWhy this label?
The reference point is the use of crowd-control weapons such as grenades by French police and gendarmes, under Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez's orders, that seriously injured protesters since mid-September 2026. Nuñez expresses regret for the injuries but says every use of force by police and gendarmes stays within the legal framework and calls intermediate weapons indispensable, which defends the use of force under scrutiny.
This label describes the statement's response within the context above.
Sources
(3)
Reporting
Manifestants blessés : des avocats annoncent saisir la CJR contre Laurent Nuñez
Relevant passage: Full AFP dispatch, as published by Sud Radio
About this source
AFP reports, in French, that lawyers for at least 18 people injured in protests since mid-September plan a collective complaint against Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez at the Court of Justice of the Republic, and quotes Nuñez's response at a press briefing that evening.
- Author
- Anne-Sophie Labadie
- Published
- Accessed
Official statement
Violences policières et attaques contre l'Etat de droit : face au déni du ministère de l'Intérieur, l'Unef, l'USL et la LDH saisissent à nouveau l'ONU
Relevant passage: Joint press release of November 9, 2026, full text
About this source
In a joint statement, the LDH and the student unions Unef and USL say the Interior Ministry refused at an October 29 meeting to acknowledge police violence against young protesters, and announce a new referral to UN human-rights bodies.
- Author
- LDH, Unef and USL
- Published
- Accessed
Reporting
French lawyers to sue interior minister over protester 'mutilations'
Relevant passage: Full AFP article, as published by CTV News
About this source
AFP's English report on the lawyers' press conference, with Nuñez's response, the AFP count of seriously injured protesters and the number of internal police investigations opened as of October 30.
- Author
- AFP
- Published
- Accessed
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- Title
- Lawyers for injured French protesters plan a complaint against Laurent Nuñez over police weapons; Nuñez says force was used within the law
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The Dispute Index. "Lawyers for injured French protesters plan a complaint against Laurent Nuñez over police weapons; Nuñez says force was used within the law". First published: 2026-11-09. Last updated: 2026-11-10. https://disputeindex.com/cases/laurent-nunez-cjr-complaint-injured-protesters