Overview
- Libération and Mediapart published dozens of hours of gendarmes’ body‑camera footage from the March 25, 2023 Sainte‑Soline operation against a banned protest over a water reservoir.
- The recordings and an IGGN report indicate some commanders instructed prohibited 'tirs tendus' with grenades, while audio captures abusive remarks and gendarmes celebrating injuries.
- Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez ordered an administrative probe, rejected the term “police violence,” defended the response as largely proportionate, and said sanctions would follow for unlawful acts.
- The Rennes prosecutor said investigators did not notify the parquet of any additional offences shown by the images, even though the DGGN says the videos were made available to justice.
- Injured protesters and their lawyer are seeking a full judicial inquiry by an investigating judge, citing an ongoing IGGN probe they deem insufficient after clashes that left about 200 demonstrators wounded, 40 seriously, and 45 gendarmes injured with roughly 4,000 grenades fired.