Joachim Gatti was injured on July 8, 2009 (Representational)
Bobbin, France:
A French court on Thursday ordered the state to pay more than 100,000 euros to a protester who lost an eye after being shot with a rubber bullet by a police officer in 2009.
An administrative court in Montreal, just outside Paris, ordered the state to pay 105,350 euros ($112,000) to Joachim Gatti. Gatti’s lawyers were seeking more than 500,000 euros.
The court’s decision stated that his injury had prevented him from exercising his previous profession as a cameraman and editor, as it had affected his vision.
It also limited the jobs he could retrain for. Since then Gatti found part-time work as a cook and teacher.
The controversial weapon used against Gatti was a “flashball”, a type of rubber bullet, and other demonstrations have since resulted in similar injuries.
The police officer who fired the weapon that killed Gatti was convicted on appeal in 2018, receiving an 18-month suspended sentence.
Gatti was injured on July 8, 2009, when police moved to clear a squat in Montreal and dispersed protesters who had gathered in front of the building.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
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