Two years after the violence at the Place de la Bastille, the Yellow Vest organiser announced the news to his "family" of 1,500 Facebook supporters, saying the French justice department had informed him that the police officer or officers responsible for destroying his eye were now "under investigation".
A judicial source confirmed the claims to the AFP news agency, saying two officers were being questioned by judges investigating the events of 26 January 2019, in which Rodrigues was partially blinded and another protester sustained a serious leg injury.
The investigators appear to have used video recordings and eye-witness testimony to identify the officer suspected of firing the grenade which injured Rodrigues. The suspect is being questioned in connection with "wilful violence leading to mutilation or permanent disability", a criminal offence.
The other police suspect is being questioned over the use of "excessive wilful violence".
Both men remain free, but remain under judicial control, meaning neither can carry a weapon and must inform investigators before leaving their homes.
A victory for those mutilated by the police
In his Facebook message, Rodrigues said he hopes that justice will eventually be done for himself and for all the other victims of police violence against the Yellow Vests.
La qualification criminelle retenue contre le policier accusé d’avoir lancé la #GMD, qui a causé à @J_Rodrigues_Off la perte de son œil droit, est passible de la cour d’assises. La #GMD est toujours en dotation dans la police en France. https://t.co/9XQ2NWp4V8
— David Dufresne (@davduf) February 10, 2021
Figures collected by the journalist David Dufresne suggest that at least 30 protesters were partially blinded and five lost hands as a result of being hit by police munitions during Yellow Vest demonstrations.
