PARIS: A French police officer was to appear in court Thursday on charges he hurled a paving stone at protesters during a "yellow vest" rally, the first member of the security forces to face trial after a wave of claims of police violence during the weekly protests.
The court hearing comes just days after the first anniversary of the anti-government rallies, which were again marked by clashes with police and vandalism in Paris last Saturday. Demonstrators accuse police of using brutal tactics to suppress the movement, in particular the use of heavy rubber bullets that activists say have cost some two dozen people to lose an eye.
The fierce violence that flared during the protests earlier this year shocked many in France and made headlines worldwide, as rioters ran amok burning cars while facing off against police firing tear gas, stun grenades and water cannon.