ع
The prefect of Pas-de-Calais François-Xavier Lauch described the injury as a very serious incident that occurred Monday morning near the Auguste Béhal high school where a larger gathering of students than in previous days had assembled. According to La Voix du Nord the teenager picked up a police stun grenade that then exploded though officials have yet to confirm those precise details. The student’s life is not in danger and he was transferred quickly to hospital Lauch told reporters adding that an investigation has been opened.
A police union source told AFP that the device appeared to be a sting-ball grenade fired by riot police as the teenager may have attempted to throw it back while the local prosecutor noted it remained unclear whether the device struck him directly. The General Inspection of the National Police known as the IGPN will conduct the probe to establish exactly what happened Reuters reported. This case has been characterised as a teenager’s hand blown off during confrontation between France school protesters and police amid the wider unrest.
The incident forms part of a wave of student protests that began in late September in Paris suburbs before spreading to cities including Lille Dijon Lyon Strasbourg and Marseille according to the education ministry. More than 400 of France’s 3,700 high schools were partially or fully blockaded on Monday with students demanding additional teachers reduced class sizes and repairs to aging buildings a Reuters assessment found. Education Minister Édouard Geffray has said some of the pupils’ concerns are legitimate but voiced worry about accompanying violence that has injured both students and staff.
Interior ministry figures show hundreds of arrests mostly of minors since the demonstrations started while the education ministry reported that 24 schools have been burned or ransacked with 78 teaching staff injured. A 16-year-old lost an eye after being hit by a rubber bullet during protests in Tours last week The Local France stated. Student union USL has called for a national day of action on Tuesday that could extend to universities as the movement gains momentum ahead of 2027 presidential elections.
Lauch said the students threw stones fireworks and mortars at officers before the confrontation escalated outside the Lens school. Government spokeswoman Maud Bregeon told CNews that restoring order was the priority as protests coincide with public sector strikes over wages and budget cuts. Rights organisations including Amnesty International have criticised the deployment of tear gas and stun grenades against minors The Guardian noted in its coverage.
The unrest started at a high school in Créteil near Paris over teacher absences and has highlighted broader issues such as overcrowded timetables and facilities ill-suited to climate demands an Al Jazeera analysis indicated. A third of high schools in the Paris region faced closures or disruptions on Monday the education ministry said. Protests continued even as some students returned to classes with police using tear gas in several locations to disperse crowds.
