A 26-year-old engineer lost a testicle after he was hit in the groin by a French police officer during demonstrations in Paris on Thursday (January 19).
As per reports, the victim was present during a demonstration against the French government’s plan to raise the age of retirement from 62 years to 64 years. It is estimated that about 1 million people took to the streets in protests.
The man was taking pictures of the confrontation between the cops and the protestors when he was reportedly knocked on the ground by a police offer. After finding him in a vulnerable position, another cop in riot gear charged at him and planted a blow on the victim’s groin.
The video of the incident, which was caught on camera, is now going viral on social media. The victim has been identified as one Ivan S. Following the incident, the 26-year-old was admitted to the hospital where his one testicle was surgically removed.
A Spanish photographer has had a testicle amputated after being hit in the crotch with a baton while he was on the ground following a police charge.
— Dee Dee Weeks (@DeeDeeWeeks) January 22, 2023
A call for witnesses has been launched for people who have videos and / or photos of the scene in Paris. pic.twitter.com/fjPq7Xb3W7
He has engaged the services of a lawyer named Lucie Simon and is now proceeding with a lawsuit for “voluntary violence that led to mutilation by a person vested with public authority.”
Simon informed that Ivan is still in a state of shock and is undergoing treatment at the hospital. “It was such a strong blow that he had to have a testicle amputated…This is not a case of self-defence or necessity. The proof is in the images we have and the fact that he was then not arrested,” she said.
The victim, through his lawsuit, hopes to put an end to violence perpetrated by the police. He is a resident of a French overseas region named Guadeloupe. Meanwhile, police chief (Paris) Laurent Nunez has ordered an inquiry into the matter.
A French government spokesperson named Olivier Veran has expressed ’empathy’ for the victim, adding that the circumstances that led to the police intervention needed to be understood.
