A 15-year-old boy's hand was blown off during a confrontation between school protesters and police in France. The teenager's life was reportedly "not in danger" following the incident in the northern city of Lens on Monday morning, said prefect François-Xavier Lauch of Pas-de-Calais. He added the teen was rushed "very quickly" to a nearby hospital.
Conflicting reports on how injury occurred
There were conflicting reports in the country about how the boy sustained the gruesome injury. An unnamed police union source claimed the student picked up a sting-ball grenade that was fired by police and it exploded in his hand. A sting-ball grenade is a rubber-coated crowd control device that makes a loud noise and emits a blinding flash of light when they go off.
But a girl who was standing close to the teen claimed he did not pick up the grenade, reports the BBC. She reportedly said: "He didn't pick it up. I was there, I saw it. He didn't pick it up, he didn't catch it."
Mayor and prefect respond
When Lens Mayor Sylvain Robert was quizzed about the incident, he said further information needed to come to light. He said: "Like you, and like many others, I have seen some videos showing the aftermath. But I did not see how the operation was organised, either by the police or by the students."
The incident happened near the Auguste Béhal high school, according to the prefect. Lauch said a "larger gathering" of students gathered outside the school.
Protest details and school response
"At the start of the morning, they threw various projectiles at the local police officers who were on site initially. When I say projectiles, I mean stones, fireworks, and mortars," he said. "Instructions were given by the interdepartmental director of the National Police, naturally with my approval, to deploy a company of riot police here to maintain order, and it was in this context that this event occurred."
Following the incident, the school said: "In light of the events that took place this morning and in order to ensure the safety of the entire school community, the institution is switching to distance learning from now on. In addition, to support everyone during this period, a listening and support unit has also been set up at the establishment."
Some 500 schools across France have closed or partially shut their doors over ongoing student protests about the condition of buildings and staff levels. The protests spread across France following a demonstration over teacher vacancies at a high school in Créteil, a Paris suburb, on September 21. Education minister Édouard Geffray claimed at least 190 pupils had been injured since protests began.
