French Teen Loses Hand in Protest. France has temporarily suspended the use of stun grenades during high-school student demonstrations after a 15-year-old boy lost his hand during a confrontation with riot police in the northern city of Lens.
Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez announced the suspension on Wednesday, saying the measure would remain in place while investigators establish exactly how the teenager was injured. Authorities have said there is a strong possibility that a police stun grenade was involved.
The incident happened on Monday outside a high school in Lens, where police were responding to a gathering of students. Officials said protesters had thrown objects toward officers before riot police moved to disperse the crowd.
However, investigators have not yet established precisely how the grenade caused the injury. Reports have differed over whether the teenager picked up the device or whether it struck him directly. A police investigation has been opened to determine what happened.
The teenager’s injury has intensified criticism of police tactics during a nationwide student movement that has spread across France. Students have been demonstrating over overcrowded classrooms, teacher shortages, deteriorating school buildings and inadequate education funding.
The protests have grown substantially in recent weeks. On Tuesday, more than 250,000 people, including students, parents, teachers and trade-union supporters, took part in demonstrations across the country, according to reporting from the Associated Press.
French authorities are now facing increasing pressure to examine the use of crowd-control weapons. Nuñez said 18 investigations had been referred to France’s police oversight system following allegations concerning police conduct during the demonstrations.
The Lens incident is not the only serious injury reported during the protests. Other teenagers have suffered significant injuries, including facial and eye injuries, leading to additional investigations into the conduct of law-enforcement officers.
Despite the suspension, demonstrations are expected to continue. Student groups and unions have called for further action, while the government has said it recognizes concerns about France’s education system but insists that violence during protests cannot be accepted.
The dispute now presents a difficult challenge for the French government: it must respond to growing demands for better schools while also addressing concerns about police methods and maintaining public order. The investigation into the Lens incident is expected to play an important role in determining whether further restrictions on crowd-control weapons will follow.
