Police officer's knee strike in Paris: student's lawyer condemns the incident
A police officer delivered a knee strike to a student at Place de la Bastille on 8 October. The IGPN has opened an investigation among 24 cases of police violence.
Police violence in Paris: a maths student victim of a knee strike, IGPN notified
According to ouest-france.fr, the incident took place at Place de la Bastille in Paris on Thursday 8 October 2026. In a video widely circulated on social media, a police officer restrains a young man, hood over his head. A second officer steps forward towards the protester and delivers a knee strike to his head.
The victim is a student of mathematics and physics. The case has been referred to the IGPN, the General Inspectorate of the National Police, as part of a series of 24 investigations opened for similar incidents that occurred during secondary school blockades.
The student's lawyer spoke publicly. "You cannot justify this," he said, rejecting any possibility of legitimising the gesture captured on the video. His client, present at a protest linked to secondary school blockades, had committed no act that warranted such an intervention, according to him.
The case is part of a broader context of tension between law enforcement and protesters in Paris and across the country. In Rennes, a separate investigation was also opened into alleged police violence, according to France 3 Régions. Another investigation targets a police officer accused of sexual assault during the same events, reports Le Figaro.
Source: Google News LU FR