France ordered to pay compensation for anti-dam protester's death

A French court on Thursday ordered the government to pay compensation to the family of an environmental activist killed by a police stun grenade in 2014.

Remi Fraisse, a 21-year-old botany student, died after being hit by the grenade during clashes between the police and opponents of a planned dam in Sivens, near the southwestern city of Toulouse.

His death triggered riots in several French cities.

In 2018, the officer who fired the grenade was cleared of any wrongdoing, with investigating magistrates declaring he had no case to answer and his lawyer saying his use of force "had been proportionate to the situation".

But in Thursday's decision the Toulouse administrative court ruled that the government bore "a reponsibility for the death of Remi Fraisse following the the action of police forces", while not actually being guilty of any wrongdoing.

The court statement said the government had been ordered to pay his family 46,400 euros (around $52,000).

Shortly after Fraisse's death France banned the use of the grenades, which are designed to disorient, not kill people.

Related Links
Water News - Science, Technology and Politics

Tweet

Thanks for being there;
We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain.

With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords.

Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year.

If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.

SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter
$5+ Billed Monthly

paypal only

SpaceDaily Contributor
$5 Billed Once

credit card or paypal

Dams may help against climate change, but harm fish, freshwater ecosystems
Washington DC (UPI) Nov 19, 2021
The debate over what hydroelectric dams contribute to the environment - either as useful tools in the fight against climate change or an impediment to migratory fish and freshwater ecosystem health - is heating up in Maine as officials decide the future of one power-generating embankment. The proposed relicensing of a major dam on Maine's Kennebec River has officials and fishers, among others, once again wrestling with difficult questions about the environment and the future of the region's n ... read more