French police hit by claims they’re too tough on protesters

By ELAINE GANLEY
Associated Press

PARIS (AP) — French authorities see the police as protectors who ensure that citizens can peacefully protest President Emmanuel Macron’s contentious retirement age increase. But to human rights advocates and demonstrators who were clubbed or tear-gassed, officers have overstepped their mission. A man in Paris lost a testicle to an officer’s club, and a police grenade took the thumb of a woman in Rouen. A railroad worker hit by grenade fragments lost an eye. The violence adds to the anger in the streets and complicates efforts at dialogue ahead of Thursday’s nationwide protests. Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin insists there’s no police violence, just ‘individual acts’ of disproportionate use of force.