France: Thousands of football fans spark flares against use of Flash-Ball

Around 1,500 football fans from several European countries took to the streets of Lyon Saturday in protest against police oppression and the use of Flash-Ball, a trademark non-lethal hand-held weapon used by police in riot situations, after a young Olympique Lyonnais fan was seriously injured.

The Flash-Ball most commonly fires 44mm rubber balls and is used in .44 and .83 calibre versions. Many serious eye injuries and one death due to cardiac arrest have been reported to have been caused by Flash-Ball use.

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