Teen Loses Hand After Picking Up Police Dispersal Grenade During French Student Protests

A 15-year-old teenager lost his hand after a French police dispersal grenade detonated in his grasp during violent clashes with high school protesters. The injury highlights the escalating tension as student demonstrations regarding staffing and facility conditions continue to spread across the nation.

According to officials, the adolescent retrieved the grenade in the town of Lens, sustaining injuries that required the amputation of his hand and part of his lower arm. The report emerged Monday as the third week of school protests unfolded.

Pas-de-Calais prefect François-Xavier Lauch noted that between 200 and 250 demonstrators had been throwing objects at law enforcement.

Masked protesters install a barricade amid clashes with police near the Lycee Berthelot high school in Aubervilliers, near Paris, Oct. 2, 2026, as part of nationwide protests to demand the hiring of substitute teachers, increased resources and better learning conditions. The slogan on the placard reads: “Same studies, but not the same rights”. (Sarah Meyssonnier/Reuters)

Education Minister Edouard Geffray observed that the protest momentum had waned in recent days and confirmed the administration would introduce a digital platform for students to register their complaints.

The grenade incident took place on the eve of a nationwide rally organized by the pupils’ union, aimed at addressing underfunding, overcrowding, and crumbling infrastructure.

Students clash with police during ongoing student protest action, in Lyon, central eastern France, on Oct. 1, 2026. Since late September, students have staged protests nationwide outside schools over timetables, class sizes, teacher shortages and overheated classrooms during this year’s heatwaves. (Alex Martin AFP via Getty Images)

The unrest is unfolding months before an election to determine the successor to President Emmanuel Macron. Protests originated in Paris, centered on disadvantaged suburbs, before expanding to the rest of the country.

Authorities stated that the demonstrations had deteriorated into violence, with reports of schools being ransacked.

Students clash with police during protests over school conditions and teacher shortages. A teenager lost his hand after picking up a police grenade, according to reports. (Getty Images)

French high school students demonstrate outside the Lycee Voltaire high school. More than 400 schools remain closed, with protests escalating into violence in some places. (Sarah Meyssonnier/Reuters)

“We’re going to keep blocking until the government hears us,” Sami Karen, 18, told Reuters while demonstrating outside Charles de Foucauld high school in Paris. “As long as they don’t listen to us, we won’t stop this fight.”

In total, more than 5,000 people have been arrested since the protests began, with 87% of them being minors. More than 1,800 people are facing prosecution, including 1,483 minors, France’s Justice Ministry said.

The specific charges were not disclosed.

Source link