France suspends stun grenades at student protests after teenager loses hand
France has suspended the use of stun grenades at student protests after a 15-year-old boy lost his hand in an incident in Lens. Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said the pause would remain until the circumstances were clarified, as officials and students gave conflicting accounts and concerns grew about police force against teenagers.
More than 500 schools were fully or partly closed on Wednesday, following protests that drew over 250,000 people according to government figures, while student unions estimated 450,000. The interior ministry reported 488 arrests and 43 security personnel injured on Tuesday, and said more than 6,500 people had been stopped or arrested since protests began in mid-September. Police watchdog IGPN has opened 18 investigations into whether officers acted proportionately; separate cases include a 14-year-old injured by tear gas and a 17-year-old who alleged an officer held his head underwater during an arrest.
- France has paused stun grenade use at student protests.
- A 15-year-old lost his hand in Lens.
- Police watchdog has opened 18 investigations.
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France has experienced large-scale student protests beginning in mid-September, with demonstrations drawing an estimated 250,000 to 450,000 participants and causing widespread school closures. Police have deployed various crowd-control methods during these protests, including stun grenades.
During the demonstrations, several incidents have resulted in injury to young people, most notably a 15-year-old boy who lost his hand, along with cases involving teenagers injured by tear gas or allegedly mistreated during arrest. Officials and student groups have provided conflicting accounts of these incidents, prompting investigation by a police watchdog body into whether officers acted proportionately.
These incidents have prompted official concern about police tactics during the protests. Various investigations are examining what occurred and whether the response was proportionate, reflecting broader questions about the methods employed against young demonstrators.
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The case for
Large-scale student protests involving hundreds of thousands of people create substantial public order challenges, with police reporting 43 officers injured, hundreds arrested, and ongoing security concerns. Stun grenades are among the less-lethal tools available to officers managing volatile situations, and without full investigation into how the specific incident occurred, immediately suspending a broader tool class could hamper police capacity to respond effectively and maintain order during such massive demonstrations.
The case against
A 15-year-old boy losing his hand represents an exceptionally grave injury warranting serious scrutiny of police methods. Combined with additional reports of tear gas deployed against younger teenagers and alleged excessive force during arrests, a concerning pattern emerges regarding police conduct against student protesters, many of whom are minors. Suspending these weapons while investigating is a proportionate safeguard protecting young people exercising their right to protest, whilst authorities examine whether such force remains necessary or justifiable.
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Originally published by BBC World as “France halts use of stun grenades after boy’s hand blown off in student protests”.