France has suspended the use of stun grenades during police operations against high school students following an incident in which a 15-year-old boy lost a hand during clashes with riot police.
Interior Minister Laurent Nunez announced the suspension on Wednesday, saying the measure would remain in place until investigations establish what happened during the confrontation in the northern city of Lens on Monday.
Nunez said there was a “strong possibility” that a non-lethal stun grenade fired during the incident caused the teenager’s injury.
“I am suspending their use for the high school students’ movement until light has been shed on what happened in this case,” he said.
The minister added that 18 cases had been referred to the police inspectorate for investigation.
The decision came as student protests continued across France, with demonstrators demanding improvements in schools, including better infrastructure, more teachers, manageable workloads and increased funding.
More than 500 schools were closed on Wednesday, a day after nationwide demonstrations and blockades. Unions have also backed further street protests.
The protests have drawn criticism of police tactics, with rights groups, students and some political opponents accusing security forces of using excessive force.
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Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu has described the students’ demands as legitimate but called the unrest the most violent student demonstrations in decades.
Students have linked deteriorating school conditions to France’s declining performance in international education assessments. According to OECD data cited in the report, French 15-year-olds recorded the largest decline in reading scores among OECD countries over the decade to 2025, while mathematics scores also recorded the sharpest fall.
The protests have also intensified political pressure on the government as France prepares for next year’s presidential election.
The CGT trade union, France’s second-largest, said it would support a further day of demonstrations, pledging to stand with students and oppose what it described as police repression.
The unrest has also drawn attention in other European countries. Student protests have emerged in parts of Belgium, while teachers in Portugal and Spain have staged or planned industrial action over working conditions, staffing levels, workloads and pay.
In Belgium, at least 107 people have been arrested in connection with student protests in the city of Liège this month, according to the Belga news agency.
