Interior Minister Laurent Nunez paused stun-grenade use after a 15-year-old lost a hand in Lens. More than 500 schools were closed on Wednesday.
France suspended the use of stun grenades in policing high-school protests on Wednesday after a 15-year-old boy lost a hand during a clash with riot police in Lens on Monday, Reuters reported. Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said there was a strong possibility that a non-lethal stun grenade caused the injury. He ordered the pause until the Lens events are clearer.
Nunez said 18 investigations had been referred to the police inspectorate. Rights groups, students and some political opponents have accused police of disproportionate force during protests that have lasted more than two weeks. Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu has called the unrest the most violent student demonstrations in decades while also describing the students' demands as legitimate.
Students are protesting dilapidated buildings, teacher shortages, overloaded schedules and funding. Reuters said French 15-year-olds' reading scores in the 2025 PISA rankings were 43 points lower than a decade earlier, the biggest drop in the OECD, and that math scores also fell the most. More than 500 schools were closed on Wednesday. Unions called further marches later in the week, and the CGT said it would support a student-union call for protests on Thursday.
The government has little spare cash while it tries to tame public debt, Reuters reported. Copycat actions were reported in Liege, where Belga said at least 107 people had been arrested in connection with student protests this month. Teachers in Portugal and Spain have separate disputes over hours and conditions.
The new development is the grenade suspension and the inspectorate referrals, not a repeat of Tuesday's national march totals. No court finding on the Lens injury was available.
People Sentiments Negative
- Nunez said he was suspending stun grenades until there was clarity on Lens.
- The CGT said it would support young people who had mobilised and protect them from violence and police repression.