Protests: businesses disrupted and policing contested

Key terms

Dispersal grenade

Hand grenade used by law enforcement to push back protesters; upon explosion, it projects hard rubber pellets in a circular and uncontrolled manner, and some may contain a CS gas or pepper spray charge. In France, it is classified as an 'intermediate force weapon' (IFW), on par with the LBD and the electroshock pistol. Wikipédia

LBD

'Defense ball launcher': French administrative term designating a 'less-lethal weapon' using a projectile designed to deform or flatten on impact to limit the risk of penetration into a living body, while retaining sufficient stopping power to deter or stop an individual. It is defined as an 'intermediate force weapon' (IFW), on par with the electroshock pistol and the dispersal grenade. Wikipédia

Street medics

Activists providing first aid in a political struggle context, both in protests and squats; they operate less formally than institutional paramedics and have not always received medical training. In France, collectives emerged in 2016 during strikes and protests against the labor law, and the practice was especially popularized by the media during the Yellow Vest movements in 2018 and 2019. Wikipédia

Observatoire des libertés publiques

Organization co-founded in 1994 by Maurice Rajsfus, a French writer, journalist, and activist author of numerous books on the police and infringements on liberties, who presided over it until its closure. Wikipédia