Swiss firm defends riot control weapons after French injuries
The Swiss manufacturer of non-lethal firearms, that injured 'yellow vest' protesters in France, has defended its record. Brügger & Thomet (B&T) said the damage was caused by French produced munition that should not have been fired from its GL06 devices.
This content was published on
2 minutes
swissinfo.ch
A French journalist, who witnessed confrontations between yellow vest protesters and police in Paris, says around 100 people were seriously injured by the devices. He describes eyes being shot out, skull fractures and serious lacerations.
B&TExternal link produces a range of armaments for both military and civilian law enforcement situations. The GL06 launcher device is designed to fire non-lethal ordinance to quell crowd disorders. Thousands of people have taken to the streets in France in the last weeks to protest against a new fuel tax.
The GL06 devices have been deployed by police in clashes with the crowds, resulting in serious injuries. In a statement B&T said these injuries would have been avoided had police used ordinance it also manufactures rather than the French produced munitions.
“It must be asserted that the LBD40 (GL06), together with the SIR munitions manufactured by B&T, is a precise and effective product that comes with little risk of injury. When using munitions of third-party manufacturers, in some cases precision decreases and the risk of injury rises significantly,” the company said in a statementExternal link.
“Regarding the accusations that the device is imprecise and dangerous, we must assert that – as mentioned previously – the munitions used are primarily responsible for action and precision. To attribute poor precision and an increased risk of injury to the launcher is therefore technically wrong.”
This content was published on
Nemo brought the Eurovision Song Contest to Switzerland with a victory on Saturday evening in Malmö, Sweden. It is Switzerland's third victory in the history of the music contest.
Switzerland abstains from vote on Palestinian bid for full UN membership
This content was published on
On Friday, Switzerland abstained from the vote at the General Assembly on granting the Palestinians new rights at the United Nations (UN).
Protein in abdominal fat could help shape obesity treatment
This content was published on
The study analysed fat cells from different locations in the body, and found that those in the abdomen have unique properties.
North African asylum claims fall after rapid Swiss processing
This content was published on
The accelerated procedure, now out of its test phase, has resulted in a significant drop in applications from North African countries.
This content was published on
The artist's song "The Code" focuses on their journey as a nonbinary individual. It is one of the favourites to win this year's contest.
Globus Riots: when the Swiss youth took to the streets
This content was published on
Clashes between protestors and police in the centre of Zurich 55 years ago are seen as a watershed moment in recent Swiss history.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.