Patrice Philippe

Patrice Philippe, 49, lives in Lons in southwestern France. He lost his right eye after being struck - with a rubber bullet, he says - during a yellow vest protest in Paris on December 8, 2018. AFP interviewed him on March 21, 2019.

Why were you there?

It was my first protest. I headed to the Champs-Elysees feeling optimistic. Paris is symbolic, it’s the capital. My father used to be a policeman, and I certainly hadn’t come to beat up cops. In the morning, there was a good atmosphere.​

What happened?

At 11 o’clock, I took a first hit by rubber bullet to my wrist (...) The violence was becoming increasingly intense. Yellow vests were starting to rip up paving stones from the Champs-Elysees (...) There came a moment when I wanted to leave. I realised it was just impossible (...) We were trapped in like pigeons in a coop, everywhere was blocked off.

I moved forward in a non-aggressive manner. I wanted to speak with a gendarme so he would let me leave (...) when a grenade explosion deafened me, stunned me, and a few seconds later, I received the rubber bullet round in the eye. I staggered (...) The first protester who saw me, I saw the horrified look on his face and I knew something really bad had happened, I staggered a few more steps and then fell down.​

What is your life like now?

I’ve been “lucky” enough to keep my eye, but the retina and the space behind the optic nerve have been destroyed. I’ll never be able to use this eye again (...) I’d been a truck driver for 25 years. I loved it. I worked with a special convoy (...) I have to stay strong for my daughter, she’s 14. I can’t let myself slip into depression. But what can you do when you’ve lost an eye? (...) Even if the movement dies out, I’ll still be there (...) I’ve got a battle which is far more important, in my eyes (smiles), against so-called non-lethal weapons.  ​