French Police Union to Sue State Over Riot Injuries and Orders
France's Alliance police union is preparing legal action against the state, accusing the government of abandoning officers during nationwide protests that left nearly 1,000 police personnel injured. The unrest, which began over school conditions and spread to riots in major cities, has also raised questions about police tactics and political responsibility.
France's leading police union, Alliance Police Nationale, has announced it will sue the state, accusing the government of leaving officers «betrayed and abandoned» during a wave of violent nationwide protests. The union argues that authorities created the conditions for the unrest and then failed to support the officers deployed to contain it.
The legal action follows demonstrations last week in which around 550,000 people took to the streets over rising prices and deteriorating school conditions. The protests descended into rioting in Paris, Lyon, Marseille, and Bordeaux, with businesses looted and buildings set on fire. According to Le Monde, 997 police officers and gendarmes were injured, including seven seriously.
Union representative Stanislas Gaudon criticized successive governments on Thursday, describing a «20-year lack of political courage» in security policy. The union has accused the government of abandoning officers on the front lines while issuing contradictory orders and failing to provide adequate training and equipment for riot-control operations. «Police officers will not be shields for political spin, nor scapegoats for an administration that refuses to take responsibility for its decisions,» the union stated last week.
Alliance also directly challenged Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez over conflicting instructions from the police hierarchy. «Mr. Minister, is your administration lying to you? Or are the police deliberately being sacrificed on the altar of political communication?» it asked, demanding an investigation into the chain of command.
The protests first erupted in September over staff shortages and deteriorating conditions at a high school near Paris before spreading nationwide. Thousands of students have demanded better education funding and an end to public spending cuts, accusing the government of prioritizing weapons over schools. The unrest has triggered massive arrests and accusations of excessive police force.
Around 2,500 people have been taken into custody, with more than 900 referred for immediate prosecution and 174 jailed, Justice Minister Gérald Darmanin said on Wednesday. Authorities have also imposed localized curfews. Police tactics have come under scrutiny after a 17-year-old protester lost a hand in a grenade explosion in Saint-Étienne. His lawyer has filed a complaint against Nuñez over the use of controversial riot-control weapons. The government has defended the police response.
The unrest comes as President Emmanuel Macron's government cuts public spending while increasing military expenditure and weapons supplies to Kiev. France has raised its 2026 defense budget by €6.7 billion despite mounting public debt. Further protests are expected this weekend, while the General Confederation of Labour (CGT) and other unions have called for a nationwide strike beginning November 5.
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