French Riot Police Shot Yellow-Vest Organizer in the Eye with Rubber Bullet, Leaving Him Handicapped for Life


Jerome Rodrigues, a 40-year old construction worker, known for his role in organizing Yellow Vest protests, was struck in the eye with a ‘flashball’ rubber bullet as he was using his video camera over the weekend. His lawyer says the damage to his eye has handicapped him for life. He also was struck with a ‘stingball’ grenade on his foot. Rodrigues warned protesters to leave the Bastille due to far-left “black bloc” agitators who had arrived to attack the police. -GEG

A 40-year-old French construction worker known for his role in organizing Yellow Vest protests has been “handicapped for life” after he was struck in the eye with a rubber police bullet, his attorney said Sunday.

“He is in shock. He will be handicapped for life. It is a tragedy for him and his family,” said Rodrigues’s layer, Philippe de Veulle in an interview with BFM Television.

The
bearded Rodrigues, who has become a well-known figure in the “yellow
vest” movement with 50,000 followers on Facebook, was live-streaming the
protest on the website when he was hit.

De
Veulle said Rodrigues was struck with a “flashball”, referring to the
40-mm (1.6-inch) rubber projectiles used by French riot police.

The
devices — which are not used in most European countries — have become
deeply controversial in France since the protests began in November,
blamed for dozens of serious injuries. –AFP via Yahoo!

Speaking from his hospital bed, Rodrigues told LCI television that he was also hit with a stingball grenade. 

“Everything happened very quickly. They threw a grenade at me and I
took a (rubber) bullet. I was attacked twice — a grenade to the foot,
and the bullet.”

In a video of the incident, Rodrigues can be heard warning protesters to leave the Bastille due to far-left “black bloc” agitators who had arrived to attack the police. 

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