Stock finally ran out? France ‘bans’ protester-maiming grenade not manufactured since 2014
January 27, 2020, 11:55 am

Stock finally ran out? France ‘bans’ protester-maiming grenade not manufactured since 2014

FILE PHOTO. French riot police with a tear gas launcher, stand in front of a burning supermarket near the French-German border.

France is finally joining the rest of Europe by withdrawing explosives from its arsenal of crowd control tools. The announced retirement of the protester-maiming GLI-F4 grenade, however, may be due to stocks running out.

The GLI-F4 is a controversial device that the French police and gendarmes consider a weapon of last resort before using live bullets. The 190-gram projectile, which can be thrown by hand or fired from a launcher, contains about 30 grams of the high explosive TNT. When it explodes, it produces a powerful blast, a deafening bang and a cloud of the tear gas CS.

https://twitter.com/lamor_rachid/status/1221423164762271749

The blast part is what poses the most danger because it can launch shrapnel and injure a person standing too close. Several protesters lost toes, fingers, and hands to these grenades while others suffered bone fractures, burns, and other serious traumas.

The policy rules are quite strict about how the GLI-F4 should be deployed: a supervisor has to assess the situation before ordering to fire, and the officer launching the grenade has to make sure it lands at a safe distance from the targeted people. In practice, in the chaotic environment of street protest rules are bent and people get hurt.

https://twitter.com/campaninimarco/status/1178011415103361028

So it's welcome news from Interior Minister Christophe Castaner, who announced on Sunday that the controversial weapon is finally getting retired. Except the 'ban' is probably more symbolic. The grenade retirement has been years in the making. The producer, Alsetex, stopped making them in 2014.

In May 2018 the French police announced the GLI-F4 was not on their procurement list for restocking grenades. They said at the time they will use up the remaining devices and switch to its intended replacement, the TNT-free GM2L. After Castaner's announcement, the newspaper Liberation asked the cabinet how many GLI-F4s remain in police stock, but did not get an answer. A police union secretary-general called the minister's announcement a PR stunt ahead of the municipal election.

A group of lawyers tried to have the GLI-F4 banned, but their motion was rejected by the Council of State in July 2019.

Ironically, the GLI-F4 was touted as a safer replacement for another Alsetex-made police explosive device, the OF-F1 grenade, which was suspended after one of them killed environment activist Rémi Fraisse during the October 2014 clashes at Sevens Dam.

Its replacement, the GM2L, has been rolled out since early 2018. Critics of French police tactics in dealing with protesters say the new grenade may still be too dangerous. But at least the French government will have less red tape to deal with — since it uses a pyrotechnic compound instead of high explosives, it's not considered a weapon of war and has fewer restrictions on packaging, transportation, and storage.

However, the absence of GLI-F4 in French streets does not mean participating in protests there becomes a safe endeavor. Other policy tools, like the golf ball-sized LBD 40 foam projectiles, have caused serious bodily harm to people.

source: Reuters

Lebanon's bonds fall as debt restructuring decision looms The Conference of European Rabbis Host a Conference Exploring the Link Between Politicization of Religion and Community Stability & Prosperity

BENEFIT, the Kingdom’s innovator and leading company in Fintech and electronic financial transactions service, has sponsored the BuildHer CityHack 2025 Hackathon, a two-day event spearheaded by the College of Engineering and Technology at the Royal University for Women (RUW).
Aimed at secondary school students, the event brought together a distinguished group of academic professionals and technology experts to mentor and inspire young participants.
More than 100 high school students from across the Kingdom of Bahrain took part in the hackathon, which featured an intensive programme of training workshops and hands-on sessions. These activities were tailored to enhance participants’ critical thinking, collaborative problem-solving, and team-building capabilities, while also encouraging the development of practical and sustainable solutions to contemporary challenges using modern technological tools.
BENEFIT’s Chief Executive Mr. Abdulwahed AlJanahi, commented: “Our support for this educational hackathon reflects our long-term strategic vision to nurture the talents of emerging national youth and empower the next generation of accomplished female leaders in technology. By fostering creativity and innovation, we aim to contribute meaningfully to Bahrain’s comprehensive development goals and align with the aspirations outlined in the Kingdom’s Vision 2030—an ambition in which BENEFIT plays a central role.”
Professor Riyadh Yousif Hamzah, President of the Royal University for Women, commented: “This initiative reflects our commitment to advancing women in STEM fields. We're cultivating a generation of creative, solution-driven female leaders who will drive national development. Our partnership with BENEFIT exemplifies the powerful synergy between academia and private sector in supporting educational innovation.”
Hanan Abdulla Hasan, Senior Manager, PR & Communication at BENEFIT, said: “We are honoured to collaborate with RUW in supporting this remarkable technology-focused event. It highlights our commitment to social responsibility, and our ongoing efforts to enhance the digital and innovation capabilities of young Bahraini women and foster their ability to harness technological tools in the service of a smarter, more sustainable future.”
For his part, Dr. Humam ElAgha, Acting Dean of the College of Engineering and Technology at the University, said: “BuildHer CityHack 2025 embodies our hands-on approach to education. By tackling real-world problems through creative thinking and sustainable solutions, we're preparing women to thrive in the knowledge economy – a cornerstone of the University's vision.”