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French gendarme cleared over dam protester's death

Court ruled no case to answer over death of Rémi Fraisse, 21, after gendarmes fired grenades during clashes at 2014 protest in south-west France.

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A French court on Tuesday dismissed the case against a gendarme who fired the grenade that killed a green activist during a protest against the construction of a dam in the south of France in 2014, reports RFI.

Rémi Fraisse was killed at the age of 21 when gendarmes fired grenades during clashes at a site occupied by protesters against the construction of the Sivens dam.

His death sparked protests across the country.

The court in Toulouse recognised that Fraisse was "calm, measured, peaceful young man" with no record of "aggression or violence against institutions or representatives of the forces of order".

But it found there was no case to answer over his death.

His father, Jean-Pierre Fraisse, slammed a "decision taken on high" and said he would appeal.

"What kind of country are we living in if France cannot find the truth when someone is killed?" he asked after the decision.

Read more of this report from

His father, Jean-Pierre Fraisse, slammed a "decision taken on high" and said he would appeal.

"What kind of country are we living in if France cannot find the truth when someone is killed?" he asked after the decision.

Read more of this report from RFI.

Read Mediapart's background to this story here and here.