France Suspends Stun Grenades After Teen Protester Severely Injured

France has temporarily halted the use of stun grenades during student protests after a 15-year-old boy lost his hand earlier this week in Lens. Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez confirmed the suspension on Wednesday, citing the need to clarify the circumstances of the incident, which occurred near the Auguste Béhal high school. While authorities claim the teenager picked up an active anti-encirclement grenade before it detonated, protesting students assert he was struck directly by an officer's fire during confrontations involving stone-throwing youths.\n\nThe controversy coincides with escalating nationwide unrest, with more than 500 schools completely or partially closed on Wednesday. During massive Tuesday demonstrations demanding better educational conditions, security forces deployed tear gas and water cannons, leading to 488 arrests and leaving 43 officers injured. Nuñez revealed that police watchdog IGPN has launched 18 inquiries into whether officers used proportionate force, stating on French radio RTL, "There is a police action that raises questions for all of us within the Ministry of the Interior; it's what happened in Lens."\n\nThe Lens incident follows several severe allegations of excessive force across the country. Last week, a 14-year-old in Saint-Ouen-l'Aumône suffered a fractured jaw and lost several teeth after being hit in the face by a tear gas grenade, leading to formal charges against an officer. Additionally, prosecutors in Belfort opened an attempted murder investigation after a 17-year-old accused an arresting officer of holding his head underwater near a river. Since protests began in mid-September, official tallies report 215 students, 85 school staff, and 715 police officers injured, alongside over 6,500 arrests.\n\nPresident Emmanuel Macron convened an emergency cabinet meeting with Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu to navigate the political impasse as disruption hit nearly a quarter of all high schools. While the government estimated Tuesday's turnout at over 250,000, student unions claimed 450,000 participated and have scheduled a fourth round of protests for Thursday. Calling for de-escalation, USL union head Ryad Rani publicly urged Nuñez to restrain police forces, as Lecornu prepared an evening address to the nation.