A teenager’s hand was reportedly blown off as high school protesters clashed with police in France on Monday as the agitation over better classroom conditions, which began in late September, continued to intensify.
The teen lost his hand in the latest round of the high school protests, Reuters reported, citing a local official.
Teen loses hand picking up grenade – What happened?
The 15-year-old lost his hand in the northern town of Lens when he picked up a sting-ball grenade fired by the police, and it exploded, according to a police union source cited by AFP.
Francois-Xavier Lauch, prefect for the northern Pas-de-Calais region, confirmed the teenager was hospitalised in Lille and is “out of danger.”
Meanwhile, Reuters reported that the regional newspaper La Voix du Nord said the teen lost his hand and part of his lower arm.
Why are students protesting in France
The ongoing demonstrations in France affect lycees, the schools where French teens have their last years of school, aged from 15 to 18.
The student grievances include: teacher absences, classroom conditions, overloaded school timetables, and a school day that can be as long as 8 am to 6 pm.
Amid the agitation, the protesters have reportedly blocked entrances to hundreds of schools around the country. Meanwhile, the government has sought to address the grievances, but has also accused the hard-left activists of having hijacked the movement, the report added.
Visuals emerge of France protests
Video shared by AFP on X showed demonstrators dragging bins and various objects on the streets.
On Friday, October 2, Reuters on X said that protesters hurled firecrackers at riot police in Pantin, near Paris.
Protests in France – key updates
Over 500 of France’s 3,700 high schools, or lycees, were shut down or partially disrupted on Monday as student unrest intensified. Demonstrators are gearing up for “Act III” protests expected on Tuesday, the AFP report added.
The government noted that the ongoing unrest has left 215 students and 715 police officers injured, it added.
Alma, a pupil at the Lycee Charlemagne in central Paris, told AFP, “It’s clear the education system isn’t working.”
Simon, a pupil at the Lycee Charlemagne, stated, “They think that just because they’re letting us express ourselves on a platform, on the internet, we’ll stop blocking access and being angry, but this anger has been here for years.”
