Investigations after pension demo in Paris
Police officer beats man between legs – testicles lost
During the protests against the pension reform, a police officer hit a demonstrator between the legs with a club. With consequences: The man loses a testicle, the police officer is now being investigated.
Published: 54 minutes ago
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The pension reform in France is controversial. The retirement age is to be raised from 62 to 64.
The protests against the pension reform last week in France have an aftermath: the Paris public prosecutor’s office intervened because a demonstrator allegedly lost a testicle to a police officer’s battering.
A spokesman said on Monday that she was launching an investigation into serious intentional violence by an official. The investigations are conducted by the supervisory authority of the police. The case had made waves in France.
A video went viral on Twitter showing the protester lying on the ground. Then the policeman swings out and hits the man between the legs.
“Sadistic blow” below the belt
The 26-year-old then had to have a testicle removed, as several media reported unanimously. His lawyer spoke of a “sadistic blow”. Government spokesman Olivier Véran said on Sunday that he had a lot of empathy for the victim and that one had to understand the conditions under which the operation was carried out.
On Thursday, more than 1.1 million people demonstrated against the French government’s pension plans. Because the current pension system will not be financed in the long term due to the aging population, the French government wants to gradually raise the retirement age from 62 to 64 years.
France’s government is sticking to controversial pension reforms
Despite the mass protests, the government is sticking to the controversial pension reform. Moving away from raising the retirement age from 62 to 64 means abandoning a financially balanced pension system, which is irresponsible to future generations, the protesters say. (SDA/jwg)