A 15-year-old student has reportedly suffered devastating injuries during protests outside a school in the northern French city of Lens. The teenager, a pupil at Behal High School, reportedly lost his hand after an incident involving a police stun grenade, according to local media.
Investigation Opened After Incident
La Voix du Nord reported that the boy had allegedly tried to recover the device before the explosion, leaving him with serious injuries to his hand and arm. An investigation into the circumstances has reportedly been opened.
The circumstances surrounding the incident remain unclear and are still being investigated. Lens mayor Sylvain Robert said the circumstances were “still being clarified” while expressing his thoughts for the injured teenager. He also said the protesters' demands should be presented in an orderly way so they could be heard.
Political Reaction
The reported injury has prompted a furious response from other French politicians and local officials. Paris mayor Emmanuel Gregoire described the incident as “horrific” and called for the circumstances surrounding what he described as alleged police violence to be investigated.
He said young people must be able to make their voices heard and described the right to protest as a fundamental freedom.
Protests Spread Across France
The incident comes amid weeks of growing unrest across France, with students protesting over conditions in secondary schools. Their complaints include teacher shortages, overcrowded classrooms, deteriorating school buildings, long schooldays and concerns over proposed budget cuts.
The protests began around September 17 in the Paris region before spreading to cities including Marseille, Lyon, Lille, Strasbourg, Nantes and Bordeaux. Some demonstrations have descended into violence, with schools reportedly set on fire, vehicles damaged, and clashes breaking out between protesters and police.
Injuries and Disruption
France's education minister Edouard Geffray said on Monday that 190 students had been injured since the protest movement began. He said the injuries included those caused by accidental forces, incidents linked to troublemakers and police projectiles.
Around 589 schools were disrupted by protests on Monday, according to the education minister, while earlier figures indicated that between 400 and 500 secondary schools were expected to be fully or partially closed. The unrest has also affected education workers, with the Government reportedly saying that 78 members of education staff have been injured since the protests began.
At least 24 schools have reportedly been burned or vandalised during the wider unrest, while thousands of arrests have reportedly been made since the protests started. Further demonstrations are expected, with student unions calling for another major day of action on Tuesday.
Education minister Geffray has said discussions will be held in French high schools this week to address students' concerns and resolve most of the “problematic situations” caused by the protests by October 16.
