15-Year-Old Loses Hand in French School Protest as Clashes Spread Nationwide
A 15-year-old lost his hand and part of his lower arm after picking up a police dispersal grenade that detonated during a school protest in Lens, northern France, as student demonstrations against education underfunding entered a third week and spread nationwide.
Teenager Loses Hand in Lens Protest
The regional newspaper La Voix du Nord reported that the 15-year-old lost his hand and part of his lower arm after picking up a police dispersal grenade that detonated in the town of Lens. [1] A local official said the teenager’s hand was blown off as high-school protesters clashed with riot police in northern France on Monday. [1] François-Xavier Lauch, prefect of Pas-de-Calais, declined to comment on the exact circumstances, saying some 200 to 250 protesters had been hurling objects at police. [1] Up to 40,000 people are expected to march in Paris on Tuesday as French trade unions join high school students protesting school conditions, and the demonstrations have been marked by clashes with police, arrests, and injuries, including the 15-year-old student whose hand was blown off after he picked up a police grenade. [4]
Scale of Arrests and Injuries
France’s Justice Ministry said 5,060 people have been arrested since the protests began, with 87% of them minors. [1] More than 1,800 people are being prosecuted, including 1,483 minors, the ministry said, without specifying the crimes. [1] It said 790 cases had been dismissed. [1] More than 5,000 people have been detained since student protests erupted in France last month, 87 percent of whom are minors, the French justice ministry said. [4] At least 589 schools throughout France have been disrupted, and more than 215 students have been injured as protests against underfunding and overcrowding continue. [4] Two dozen schools have been burned or ransacked, 78 teaching staff have been injured in the demonstrations and at least 190 students have been injured, Geffray said. [1] Since last Monday, 5,000 people, 85% of them teenagers, have been arrested and dozens injured. [1] Teachers and members of the public have been attacked, while damage to property is estimated in the millions of euros. [1]
Unions Join Student Protests
Hundreds of French high schools will shut Tuesday as teacher unions join a student-led protest movement demanding more money for education. [2] Leading unions, including Unsa, the CFDT and the CGT, have called for teachers to strike and join students in their protests, with a main demonstration expected in Paris in the afternoon. [2] Sophie Binet, head of the CGT labour union, told TF1 television on Monday that her members would attend Tuesday’s demonstrations to protect the students. [1] “We’ve been appalled by what we have seen over the past 10 days and by the unprecedented crackdown that the government has organised,” she said. [1] Some 400 to 500 high schools were closed or partially closed ahead of Tuesday’s nationwide protest. [1] “We’re going to keep blocking until the government hears us,” said Sami Karen, 18, who was demonstrating outside Charles de Foucauld high school in Paris. [1] “As long as they don’t listen to us, we won’t stop this fight.” [1]
Political Fallout and Accusations
Six months before an election to replace President Emmanuel Macron, his government and the far-right National Rally, led by presidential frontrunner Marine Le Pen, have accused hard-left France Unbowed (LFI) lawmakers and mayors of stoking the protests. [1] The LFI denies the accusation. [1] Far-left presidential candidate Jean-Luc Mélenchon urged his supporters to join nationwide protests on Tuesday in support of students blockading high schools, despite accusations that he instigated violence. [5] “Our country is witnessing the most powerful movement of high school and college students it has seen since May 1968,” Mélenchon said. [5] Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu’s office said the government and intelligence agencies “shared the assessment” that France Unbowed and its ideological allies helped foment the student protests. [5] The 75-year-old has denied encouraging violence — he called the allegation “absurd” in his video and blames the police for brutally dispersing protests — but he’s not backing down from a rhetorical fight. [5]
Government Response and Next Steps
Speaking after meeting with students in the northern Paris suburbs, Education Minister Edouard Geffray said participation in the protests had been declining in recent days. [1] The government would launch a platform for students to express their dissatisfaction and kick off an action plan for particular schools, he said. [1] He said the goal was for classes at affected schools to restart on Wednesday. [1] Bregeon said the government would fast-track a bill on October 27 to make youngsters found to have damaged property, or their parents, financially liable. [1] “Our priority is to restore order,” government spokesperson Maud Bregeon told CNews television. [1]
Spread of Clashes Across Cities
On Monday, BFMTV showed images of police and students clashing in Lille in northern France, tear gas being used in Toulouse in the southwest, and a fire being lit as people tried to break into a school in central Paris. [1] Carole Zerbib, head of the vandalised Lycee Vauquelin in Paris, said it had been attacked by a “very determined” group wearing hoods and masks who had tried to break through the entrance door and then lit a fire, forcing the school to be evacuated and classes suspended. [1] “It was very violent and happened very quickly,” she said, adding that she did not believe the attackers were from the school. [1] Security officials fear that Tuesday’s organised protests in central Paris in particular could bring further violence amid concerns that far-left and anarchist groups could try to take them over. [1]
What to watch next: Up to 40,000 people are expected to march in Paris on Tuesday, with classes at affected schools expected to restart on Wednesday and a fast-tracked bill on parental liability for damages scheduled for October 27.
