French lawmaker calls on interior minister to resign over police response to student protests

French lawmaker Gabrielle Cathala called on Interior Minister Laurent Nunez to resign over police intervention against high school students, as criticism mounts over the government’s handling of nationwide student protests. Cathala, a lawmaker from the left-wing France Unbowed (LFI), addressed Nunez in the National Assembly on Monday, citing students who had been maimed, lost an eye or suffered a broken jaw during the demonstrations. Referring to Nunez’s announcement that 10 investigations had been launched into incidents during the protests, Cathala said: “Our issue is not opening investigations after these children’s lives have been ruined; our issue is preventing this violence.” She called for a change in France’s policing doctrine toward de-escalation and said footage showed plainclothes officers breaking windows and police firing various projectiles at students. “Mr. Minister, you must resign. You have nothing left to do here,” she told Nunez. Read More: Student protests spread across France, Belgium Her remarks came amid political outrage after a 15-year-old student lost a hand on Monday when a grenade used by riot police exploded during a demonstration near Auguste-Behal high school in Lens. Bethune public prosecutor Etienne Thieffry said it had not yet been established whether the teenager picked up the grenade or whether it had been thrown at him. France’s police watchdog has opened an investigation. Other opposition politicians have also criticised the police response. LFI coordinator Manuel Bompard accused authorities of choosing to “repress our children rather than listen and engage in dialogue,” while Green politician Marine Tondelier called the failure to instruct police to exercise restraint a “serious political error.” Socialist politician Olivier Faure urged the government to immediately review its crowd-control strategy. Meanwhile, a petition launched on the National Assembly’s website calling for a ban on police use of weapons capable of causing serious injuries during high school protests has received more than 10,000 signatures. Also Read: Teenager's hand blown off as French school protests enter third week Nunez told broadcaster TF1 on Oct. 2 that he had not instructed law enforcement officers to exercise restraint during the demonstrations, prompting criticism from opposition politicians.