France Suspends Stun Grenades During Student Protests After Teen Loses Hand

France has suspended the use of stun grenades during policing of student protests after a 15-year-old boy lost his hand during clashes with police in the northern city of Lens.

Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez announced the suspension on Wednesday, saying the measure would remain in place until the circumstances surrounding Monday’s incident were clarified. He said there was a strong possibility that a police grenade was involved in the teenager’s injury.

The circumstances remain disputed. Local authorities have said the teenager picked up the grenade before it exploded, while protesters have alleged that he was struck directly after an officer fired it. An investigation has been opened into the incident.

Nuñez said France’s police watchdog, IGPN, had opened 18 investigations into police conduct during the demonstrations, including whether officers used proportionate force.

“There is a police action that raises questions for all of us within the Ministry of the Interior; it’s what happened in Lens,” Nuñez said, adding that the suspension would continue until the facts were established.

The protests, which began over concerns about poor school conditions, teacher shortages and inadequate funding, continued on Wednesday, with more than 500 schools fully or partially closed. Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu was expected to address the unrest in an evening speech. Reuters reported that the demonstrations have become the most intense student unrest in France in decades.

Education Minister Édouard Geffray told lawmakers that 24 schools had been burned or vandalised so severely that they would remain closed for several weeks, affecting about 30,000 pupils. On Tuesday, hundreds of thousands of people joined demonstrations across the country, while police used tear gas and water cannon in some cities. The Interior Ministry said 488 people were arrested and 43 security personnel were injured that day.

The suspension has drawn criticism from police representatives. Jean-Paul Nascimento, national secretary of the UNSA policing union, questioned the decision and warned that removing the weapon could lead to more confrontations at close range.

The Lens incident is not the only case raising concerns over police tactics. A 14-year-old boy was seriously injured in the face during a separate protest last week after being hit by a tear-gas grenade, according to his lawyer. A police officer has been charged over that incident.

The wider unrest has also become a political flashpoint ahead of next year’s presidential election. The government has accused the hard-left France Unbowed party of helping to fuel the protests, while the party has rejected the allegation. Student unions have called for further demonstrations, with protesters demanding improvements to school infrastructure, staffing and learning conditions.