French teen loses hand picking up police grenade during student protest

A protester is detained by riot police in Paris, on Monday. More than 400 out of France's 3,700 high schools, known as lycees, were partially or totally closed on Monday morning, the education ministry said. Photo by LOU BENOIST /AFP via Getty Images

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A 15-year-old student lost a hand on Monday picking up a police grenade as part of nationwide protests in France over classroom conditions that have disrupted lessons at hundreds of schools since last week.

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Some students returned to classrooms, but others maintained actions outside their schools, ahead of a day of larger demonstrations expected on Tuesday.

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Authorities said the teenager was injured in the northern town of Lens. A police union source said he appeared to have picked up a sting-ball grenade fired by riot police and that it exploded in his hand.

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Since late September, students have blocked the entrances to hundreds of schools, complaining of teacher absences, overloaded timetables, dilapidated classrooms and buildings ill-adapted to rising temperatures, among other grievances.

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The unrest erupted just months before the 2027 elections that will determine the successor to centrist President Emmanuel Macron.

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The government has sought to address the grievances, while accusing hard-left activists of having hijacked the protest movement.

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The French Human Rights League (LDH) on Monday accused security forces of using disproportionate methods against protesters, many of whom are legally minors.

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“We can see that in the instructions given to the police, there is no directive to show restraint, even though they are dealing with children,” LDH president Nathalie Tehio said.

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Dustbins ablaze

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More than 400 out of France’s 3,700 high schools, known as lycees, were partially or totally closed on Monday morning, the education ministry said.

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A third of the 468 lycees for teenagers aged 15 to 17 were expected to be closed in the Paris region, authorities said.

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A protestor throws a stop sign into a fire as protesting students carry out blockading action in Brest, western France, last week. Photo by FRED TANNEAU /AFP via Getty Images

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In central Paris, dozens of teenage students demonstrated outside a school while passing cars honked their horns. Some classmates made their way inside to attend lessons.

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“We’re missing our lessons to give you one,” read one cardboard sign outside the Turgot high school, located in Paris’s 3rd arrondissement.

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In Bordeaux, in the southwest, some students returned to the classroom while others continued to demonstrate in the presence of riot police.

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Some protesters outside the Gustave Eiffel high school set off fireworks in the direction of the police, who responded sporadically with tear gas, but overall the situation remained calm, AFP reporters said.

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In the northern city of Lille, masked protesters destroyed bus shelters and set fire to dustbins, as police fired tear gas towards demonstrators.

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The movement started on September 17 at a high school in the Paris suburb of Creteil, in support of teachers striking over a lack of staff and resources.