France has paused the use of stun grenades at student protests after a 15‑year‑old boy’s hand was blown off during an incident in Lens. The government said the decision would remain until the facts are clarified.
Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said he had ordered the pause while the Grenelle Smarte Polices Investigation Office opened 18 inquiries into whether officers had used proportionate force. Authorities claim the boy picked up a so‑called anti‑encirclement grenade, which detonated; protesters argue a police officer fired it.
The protests, now in their fifth week, have seen more than 500 schools partially or fully shut, tear gas and water cannons deployed, and 488 arrests reported. Forty‑three security personnel were also injured.
Other violent episodes include a 14‑year‑old who was struck by a tear‑gas grenade in Saint‑Ouen‑l’Aumône, losing several teeth and a fractured jaw, and a 17‑year‑old who alleged an officer “held his head underwater” during an arrest near a river in Belfort.
Parliamentary and union leaders have urged the government to ensure police restraint. The prime minister will speak later this evening, while President Macron convened an emergency meeting to discuss the crisis.
Students and teachers’ unions estimate that 250,000 to 450,000 have joined the demonstrations, and a fourth round of protests is planned for Thursday in Paris and other cities.
