A 15-year-old student has lost a hand after a grenade exploded during clashes between high school protesters and riot police in Lens, northern France, as nationwide demonstrations over poor educational conditions entered their third week.
The teenager was seriously injured on Monday, October 5, near the Auguste-Béhal vocational high school and was taken to a hospital in Lille. Local authorities said his life was not in danger.
A police union source told French news agency AFP that the student appeared to have picked up a police dispersal grenade, reportedly in an attempt to throw it back, before it exploded in his hand.
However, prosecutors said the exact circumstances of the incident had not yet been established. Investigators are examining whether the teenager picked up the device or whether it landed near him. The case has been referred to the Inspectorate General of the National Police for investigation.
The incident has intensified concerns about police tactics during the protests, particularly because many of the demonstrators are minors. Rights groups have accused French security forces of using excessive force, including batons, tear gas and rubber-bullet weapons.
France’s Education Minister, Edouard Geffray, described the teenager’s injury as “humanly dramatic” and said he would not comment on the circumstances until the investigation had established what happened.
Geffray said about 190 students had been injured since the protests began. He also said 24 schools had been burned or ransacked, while 78 teaching staff had suffered injuries.
The protests have spread across France since late September, with students demanding more teachers, better-equipped schools, less overcrowding and improved learning conditions.
More than 400 of France’s approximately 3,700 high schools were partially or completely closed on Monday, according to the Education Ministry. The ministry later reported that 589 schools had experienced disruptions during the day.
The demonstrations began at a high school in the Paris suburb of Créteil amid concerns over teacher shortages and inadequate resources before spreading to other parts of the country.
Students have complained about overcrowded classrooms, teacher absences, dilapidated school buildings and facilities that are poorly adapted to rising temperatures.
In Paris, students erected barricades outside schools, while demonstrations and clashes were reported in several other cities.
In Lille, police and students clashed, while tear gas was reportedly used in Toulouse. In central Paris, a fire was set as a group attempted to force its way into a school.
At Lycée Vauquelin in Paris, school principal Carole Zerbib said a group of hooded and masked individuals attacked the school entrance and started a fire. The fire was quickly put out by firefighters and police, but the school was evacuated and classes were suspended.
Zerbib described the incident as violent and said it lasted about 15 to 20 minutes. She also said those responsible did not appear to be students from the school.
The injury in Lens has increased scrutiny of the government’s response to the protests.
Amnesty International France and other rights organisations have raised concerns over the use of force against young demonstrators. They have called on authorities to ensure that policing methods are proportionate, particularly where minors are involved.
French authorities, however, have stressed the need to restore order as some demonstrations have involved violence, vandalism and attacks on public property.
Government spokesperson Maud Bregeon said the priority was to restore order, while the government has also proposed legislation aimed at making people responsible for damage caused during protests pay for repairs.
More than 5,000 people, most of them teenagers, have been arrested since the protests began, while damage to public and private property has been estimated in the tens of millions of euros.
Despite the disruption and growing tensions, student unions have called for a nationwide demonstration on Tuesday, October 6.
Several trade unions are also expected to support the action, increasing concerns that the protests could expand further.
The French government has said it intends to address some of the students’ concerns, including teacher shortages and the condition of school buildings.
Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu has urged authorities to prioritise filling vacancies caused by long-term teacher absences and has called for discussions on improving school infrastructure.
For now, however, the Lens incident has become a major flashpoint in the protests, with investigations continuing into how the 15-year-old sustained the life-changing injury.
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