France suspends police use of stun grenades at student protests after teenager loses hand

France has suspended police use of stun grenades at student-led demonstrations after a 15-year-old lost a hand in clashes this week.

Interior Minister Laurent Nunez told RTL on Wednesday he had suspended the grenades “until the facts of the incident have been clarified”, stressing it was “only for the high school student protests” and would last “just long enough to understand what happened” (https://www.channelnewsasia.com/world/france-student-protests-lecornu-police-6440911).

The move follows Monday’s incident in Lens, where a stun grenade outside the Auguste-Béhal high school blew off a 15-year-old’s hand. Prosecutor Etienne Thieffry said it was not yet established whether he picked it up or it landed on him, and the police watchdog, the IGPN, has opened an investigation (https://www.lemonde.fr/en/france/article/2026/10/06/high-school-protests-what-we-know-about-injuries-among-demonstrators-and-police_6758279_7.html).

Last week a 14-year-old in Saint-Ouen-l’Aumône, north-west of Paris, was hit in the face by a tear gas grenade fired at close range and lost several teeth; a police officer was charged over that incident on Tuesday (https://www.bangkokpost.com/world/3332958/france-suspends-stun-grenade-use-at-student-protests).

The concession followed Tuesday’s rally of more than 250,000 people backing students demanding better education funding, per government figures, and President Emmanuel Macron’s meeting with Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu and ministers that evening. Lecornu is expected to address the protests and national finances on Wednesday (https://www.gulftoday.ae/news/2026/10/07/france-suspends-stun-grenade-use-as-over-250000-join-student-protests-nationwide).

More than 5,000 people have been arrested since the protests began, 87% minors, per the Justice Ministry, and police have opened 18 internal investigations into misconduct. France Unbowed’s Manuel Bompard said it had taken “several children being maimed for life” for the suspension (https://foxnews.com/world/teens-hand-blown-off-police-grenade-french-student-protests-report).

It marks a government response to Tuesday’s mass mobilisation.