I don't know if it is the same bunch, but there was a report that in some of the early-days riots, like '68, the capes their police wore had the hems lined with lead. When they swung those things at your head it had the same impact as a club.
ROTFLMAO
Cops in France and Germany don’t give a **** about you - it is - comply or get your head busted by a “matraque d’émeute”
More fun than a soccer match.