The 44-year-old officer on trial on Thursday was also caught on camera in the act of throwing the stone during the May 1st protests, when 'yellow vests' demonstrated alongside the traditional union rallies. Among those hit was the accused's commanding officer, who was struck in the face by a paving stone and badly injured. Yellow vest protests in rural France have been relatively peaceful, by contrast. The riot police officer on trial in Paris is from a unit based in the southwestern city of Toulouse that was sent to the capital as backup. Activists say that in addition to those blinded, five 'yellow vest' protesters have lost a hand to police stun grenades, and one a testicle, while dozens of others have sustained other injuries.

Source: The Local November 21, 2019 16:18 UTC