Widespread student protests over crumbling school infrastructure and understaffing have spiraled into violent unrest across France, leaving a 15-year-old student with a severe hand injury and forcing hundreds of campuses to shut down operations. The shocking incident unfolded on Monday morning in the northeastern French city of Lens, located in the Pas-de-Calais department, near the Auguste Béhal high school. Regional prefect François-Xavier Lauch confirmed the severity of what he described as a “very serious incident,” while noting that the injured teenager’s life is not currently at risk. The student was rapidly transported to a nearby medical facility for urgent treatment after the injury occurred. French media has circulated conflicting accounts of how the teen sustained his injury: local regional outlet La Voix Du Nord reports that the teen’s hand was blown off after he picked up a stun grenade deployed by police during the confrontation. As of Monday, national and local officials had not released confirmed, detailed information on the chain of events leading to the injury. In response to the incident, a regional prosecutor has announced that an official probe will be conducted by the General Inspection of the National Police (IGPN), France’s independent police watchdog, with the goal of fully uncovering all facts surrounding the event. Lauch told reporters that the student gathering outside the high school on Monday was larger than any protest assembly seen in the area in previous days of unrest. He stated that the assembled students began launching multiple types of projectiles, including stones, fireworks, and mortars, at local police officers who were first deployed to the site. After the projectile attack began, the interdepartmental director of the National Police ordered, with Lauch’s approval, that a company of the Compagnies Républicaines de Sécurité (CRS), France’s national riot police force, be deployed to the area to restore public order. The injury occurred in the midst of this security deployment, the prefect confirmed. In the wake of the incident, the Auguste Béhal high school moved immediately to switch all classes to remote distance learning starting Monday morning, releasing a public statement noting that the change was implemented to protect the safety of the entire school community. Administrators also announced that they had set up a dedicated mental health listening and support unit on campus to help students and staff process the traumatic event. As of Monday, approximately 500 schools across France were operating with partial or full closures amid the ongoing wave of student protests, which have already resulted in multiple days of violent clashes between demonstrators and law enforcement. The protests were sparked by widespread student anger over longstanding issues including deteriorating building conditions and persistent staff shortages at public secondary schools across the country.
Teenager’s hand blown off during confrontation between France school protesters and police
