France Suspends Stun Grenades at Student Protests

French Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez announced on Wednesday, 7 October, that police will temporarily stop using stun grenades at high school student protests, Euronews reports.

The decision follows an incident in which a 15-year-old lost a hand when a grenade fired by police exploded. Nuñez said the use of such devices is suspended until the circumstances are established. The restriction applies only to high school protests. It is still unclear whether the teenager picked the grenade up from the ground or whether it landed beside him.

Investigations into police conduct

Since the protests began, police have opened 18 internal investigations into possible misconduct by officers. On Tuesday, a police officer was charged over an incident northwest of Paris in which a 14-year-old was hit in the face at very close range by a tear gas grenade and lost several teeth.

Scale of the protests

The student protests began in the second half of September. They initially highlighted poor school building conditions, teacher shortages, overcrowded classes and other problems in the education system. More than 6,500 people have been detained since the movement began, most of them minors. Hundreds of students, teachers and police officers have been injured in protests and clashes.

According to the Interior Ministry, around 250,000 people took part in demonstrations across France on Tuesday, 6 October. At least 488 people were detained during the day and 43 officers were injured. Lawyers for detained teenagers accuse police of violence and humiliating treatment of young people.

Political response

President Emmanuel Macron convened an emergency meeting on Tuesday evening with Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu and several ministers. Lecornu said the demands of high school students must be heard. Several education sector unions have called new strikes and demonstrations for 8 October.