France Suspends Stun Grenades After 15-Year-Old Loses Hand in School Protests
Updated
Updated · BBC.com · Oct 7
France Suspends Stun Grenades After 15-Year-Old Loses Hand in School Protests
3 articles · Updated · BBC.com · Oct 7
Summary
Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez paused stun grenades in student protests after a 15-year-old's hand was blown off Monday in Lens, pending clarification of conflicting accounts over how the device exploded.
More than 500 schools were fully or partly shut early Wednesday as the unrest spread, after protests that drew over 250,000 people by government count and led police to use tear gas and water cannon.
Authorities said 488 people were arrested Tuesday and 43 security personnel were hurt, while the police watchdog opened 18 investigations into whether officers used proportionate force.
The crackdown is under sharper scrutiny because a 14-year-old reportedly lost teeth and suffered a fractured jaw in a separate tear-gas incident, and prosecutors opened an attempted-murder probe over another arrest.
The crisis has widened into a political test for Emmanuel Macron's government, with Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu due to address the protests as students plan a fourth nationwide demonstration on Thursday.
As stun grenades sever limbs and schools burn, will France's promise to investigate police tactics actually end the violent cycle of youth protests?
With thousands arrested and severe mutilations occurring, what hidden systemic failures are driving French students to risk their lives over school conditions?
How did a simple demand for better classrooms escalate into an explosive nationwide crisis with hundreds of thousands clashing against armed riot police?