France has suspended the use of stun grenades in policing student protests after a 15‑year‑old’s hand was blown off in Lens this week.
Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said the ban is temporary while police investigations clarify how the device was fired and whether it was used proportionately.
The disruption has escalated: over 500 schools have closed, 488 people were detained, and 43 police officers were injured in actions that have drawn criticism from student unions.
The incident involved an anti‑encirclement grenade that exploded after the boy allegedly picked it up. Students claim an officer fired directly at him, while authorities say it detonated in unclear circumstances.
Paris police have opened 18 investigations to assess the proportion of force used during demonstrations that have spread from high‑school pupils to university students and their parents.
Similar incidents have unfolded: a 14‑year‑old was hit in the face with a tear‑gas grenade in Saint‑Ouen‑l’Aumône, and a 17‑year‑old student is facing an attempted‑murder probe after an officer allegedly held him underwater near a river in Belfort.
Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu has condemned the violence and promised that the government will protect high‑school students while finding a path out of the crisis.
Protests began in mid‑September and have attracted up to 250,000 participants, with unions citing 450,000 and a fourth round of protests planned for Thursday in Paris and other cities.
