French officer who was 'set on fire' by a petrol bomb in Paris says his attackers 'are not protesters'

From the Newshound archive · first published 2 November 2026.

France has launched an attempted murder investigation after a "particularly sophisticated" petrol bomb engulfed a gendarme's leg in flames during Paris protests on Saturday, with prosecutors confirming the probe covers "attempted murder of persons vested with public authority". No arrests have been made for the firebomb attack despite more than 770 nationwide. Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez called the violence "extraordinary" and prosecutors have identified three Black Bloc-style suspects from social media footage.

The stricken officer told RTL the flammable substance was "so greasy I could feel it spreading across my skin" and that his shin and leg protectors melted.

Thirteen members of his gendarmerie unit were injured as some 320,000 people demonstrated across France in the third consecutive weekend of youth-led protests over living costs and failing public services.

Marine Le Pen demanded those responsible be "punished with the utmost severity" as political pressure mounts ahead of next year's presidential election.