France halts use of stun grenades after boy’s hand blown off during student protests

France has suspended stun grenade use during student demonstrations after a 15-year-old boy lost his hand in Lens, intensifying scrutiny of police tactics as nationwide protests over school conditions continue to widen and attract political attention.

Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez ordered the pause while authorities establish what happened near Auguste Béhal high school, where accounts differ over whether the teenager picked up a grenade or was struck directly after officers deployed it.

The decision came as disruption continued across France, with more than 500 schools fully or partially closed Wednesday. The unrest has expanded beyond high school pupils, drawing parents, university students, unions and political groups into tense demonstrations.

Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu defended the police response while acknowledging that young people have legitimate grievances. Addressing the nation Wednesday evening, he rejected claims that security forces had been instructed to confront students, insisting officers were responding to violence.

Lecornu said the government would examine demands raised by students and present proposals by the end of October. Measures could include renovating school buildings and increasing teacher availability, although the prime minister provided few concrete details about the response.

The prime minister acknowledged the depth of frustration among young people, saying their anger did not emerge without cause. His comments reflected growing pressure on the government to address educational conditions and concerns surrounding police conduct during demonstrations.

Education Minister Édouard Geffray said 24 schools had been set alight or vandalised so severely that they would remain closed for several weeks. He estimated the damage had disrupted education for about 30,000 pupils across affected communities.

Tuesday’s demonstrations saw hundreds of thousands gather across French cities, with police deploying tear gas and water cannon in some locations. The Interior Ministry reported 488 arrests and said 43 security force members were injured during the unrest.

Nuñez said the police watchdog IGPN had opened 18 investigations into whether officers acted proportionately during demonstrations. The inquiries add scrutiny as officials attempt to distinguish legitimate crowd-control measures from alleged excessive force against young protesters.

The Lens incident has become a central controversy. Authorities said the 15-year-old picked up an anti-encirclement grenade before it exploded, while fellow students claimed an officer fired the device directly at him during the confrontation.

According to the local prefect, more than 200 students confronted police by throwing stones and fireworks. Officials have portrayed the Lens operation as a response to dangerous behaviour, while protesters and witnesses have questioned the grenade’s deployment.

Police unions have criticised the suspension, warning that removing stun grenades could make crowd-control operations more dangerous. Jean-Paul Nascimento, national secretary of the UNSA policing union, argued officers could face closer confrontations without the weapon available.

Nascimento described the decision as emotionally driven and warned increasingly violent confrontations could produce more injuries if officers lacked options for creating distance. His comments underscored disagreement between police representatives and critics demanding stronger restraint during protests.

Concerns over police tactics have grown following another incident involving a 14-year-old boy in Saint-Ouen-l’Aumône, northwest of Paris. His lawyer said the teenager lost several teeth and suffered a fractured jaw after being struck by a tear gas grenade.

A police officer has been charged in connection with that incident, adding pressure on authorities as investigators examine individual conduct. The case has strengthened calls from student representatives and civil-rights advocates for greater restraint during demonstrations involving minors.

Wednesday also brought another serious injury involving a teenager. Prosecutors said a 16-year-old suffered a severe hand injury outside a school in Strasbourg, reportedly while handling a mortar firework, highlighting dangers created by the unrest itself.

In Belfort, prosecutors opened an attempted-murder investigation after a 17-year-old protester alleged an officer held his head underwater during an arrest near a river. French reports said the teenager was separately charged with aggravated assault over an alleged attack.

Officials have described the rapid escalation as unprecedented. Geffray said dozens of headteachers and deputies had been injured and accused ultra-violent groups of infiltrating the movement, while Nuñez rejected descriptions of the demonstrations as police repression.

The education minister said more than 200 students and 700 police officers had reportedly been harmed, while authorities had recorded more than 6,600 arrests since protests intensified. The figures illustrate the scale of the increasingly volatile confrontation.

Political tensions have further complicated the crisis. The radical-left France Unbowed party has accused the government of allowing excessive force against children, while Lecornu accused the party of attempting to sow chaos ahead of France’s presidential election.

President Emmanuel Macron held an emergency meeting Tuesday with Lecornu and senior ministers to discuss the crisis. The meeting followed protests that disrupted almost a quarter of France’s lycées, according to government figures, with participation above 250,000 people.

Student unions offered a higher estimate, placing Tuesday’s turnout at about 450,000 protesters. They said another nationwide round of demonstrations was planned for Thursday and requested talks with Lecornu, arguing that government responses lacked sufficiently concrete measures.

Lecornu has attempted to create channels for dialogue, asking schools to dedicate part of the day to student concerns. An online consultation also received about 30,000 responses within its first day, according to figures shared by the prime minister.

Student representatives have questioned whether consultation alone can resolve the crisis. The union representing school leaders said solutions would require more than discussion sessions, while high school union leader Ryad Rani called for police restraint and calmer handling.

The suspension of stun grenades represents both an immediate response to the Lens injury and a broader test of France’s approach to youthful dissent. Authorities must balance public safety, protection of schools and the rights of demonstrators.

As protests continue, pressure is mounting on the government to deliver practical improvements while ensuring policing remains proportionate. The coming days could determine whether dialogue reduces tensions or further confrontations deepen a crisis already spreading across France’s education system.

 

This article was created using automation technology and was thoroughly edited and fact-checked by one of our editorial staff members