A 15-year-old student lost his left hand after a police stun grenade exploded during a student protest in the northern French town of Lens on Monday, October 5, as demonstrations over deteriorating school conditions continued across France.
The incident occurred near the Auguste Béhal vocational high school, where hundreds of students had gathered during the latest wave of protests.
Pas-de-Calais prefect François-Xavier Lauch confirmed that the teenager had suffered a severe injury during the demonstration.
“Unfortunately, we had a 15-year-old high school student who was seriously injured during a demonstration,” Lauch said, according to French media reports.
INVESTIGATION LAUNCHED INTO GRENADE INCIDENT
Local newspaper La Voix du Nord reported that the teenager lost his hand after picking up a police stun grenade. However, the precise circumstances remain under investigation.
Béthune prosecutor Étienne Thieffry said he could not formally establish whether the teenager had picked up the grenade or whether it had been thrown at him.
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The grenade reportedly exploded in the teenager’s left hand. He was given emergency medical treatment before being taken to a hospital in Lille. French reports said his life was not in danger.
An investigation has been opened by France’s police watchdog, the General Inspectorate of the National Police (IGPN), to establish the circumstances surrounding the incident.
PROTESTS SPREAD ACROSS FRANCE
The injury came as students protests entered a second week, with demonstrations focusing on overcrowded classrooms, teacher shortages, deteriorating school buildings and wider concerns about conditions in France’s education system.
According to Education Minister Édouard Geffray, between 400 and 500 of France’s roughly 3,700 high schools were expected to be fully or partially closed on Monday. He also said 24 schools had been burned or ransacked and 78 members of teaching staff had been injured since the demonstrations began.
The protests have also led to clashes between students and police in several cities. Tear gas was used in Toulouse, while clashes were reported in Lille and a fire was started during an attempted break-in at a school in Paris, Reuters reported.
THOUSANDS ARRESTED AMID GROWING UNREST
The demonstrations have resulted in thousands of arrests since the movement began.
Reuters reported on Monday that around 5,000 people, mostly teenagers, had been arrested nationwide since the previous week. This replaces the earlier figure of more than 2,000 arrests and reflects the latest available reporting.
The government has called for a restoration of order as preparations continue for a nationwide day of demonstrations on Tuesday.
Government spokeswoman Maud Bregeon told CNews: “Our priority is to restore order.”
Student unions, meanwhile, have continued to call for demonstrations, with authorities concerned that further clashes could occur.
The serious injury in Lens has added to growing scrutiny of the police response to the protests, particularly because many of the demonstrators are minors. The investigation into the grenade incident is expected to establish how the device came into contact with the teenager and the circumstances that led to his life-changing injury.
