FRANCE SUSPENDS STUN GRENADE USE AFTER STUDENT LOSES HAND

France has suspended police use of stun grenades at student protests after a 15-year-old boy lost a hand during a clash with riot police in Lens, northern France, on Monday. Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said he ordered the halt "in the context of the secondary school students' movement" until the circumstances of the incident are clarified, adding there was a "strong possibility" a stun grenade caused the injury. Nuñez said protesters and police have given differing accounts of what happened, with authorities saying the teenager picked up a grenade before it detonated, while other witnesses said he was struck directly by it. He rejected accusations of police brutality and disproportionate force as "excessive", saying officers do not intervene when protests remain peaceful. Police watchdog IGPN has opened 18 investigations into whether the police response was proportionate. Separately, one student lost the use of an eye and another lost several teeth in protest-related incidents.

Protests have swept France for more than two weeks, with at least 250,000 people taking part on Tuesday alone. More than 6,600 protesters have been arrested, most of them minors, and the justice ministry said more than 1,800 will face prosecution, the majority also under 18. Between 400 and 500 schools were fully or partially closed on Wednesday, with Education Minister Édouard Geffray saying 24 schools suffered damage severe enough to require closure for several weeks. Secondary school students have raised concerns over teacher shortages, overcrowded classes and poor building conditions, with the movement spreading to parents, university students and union leaders. Rights groups, students and some political opponents have accused police of using disproportionate force during the demonstrations.

Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu described the unrest as the most violent student demonstrations in decades while acknowledging what he called the "legitimate" demands of the students, and he was expected to address the nation on Wednesday evening. Unions have called for a further day of street marches later in the week. The protests come six months ahead of a presidential election to replace President Emmanuel Macron, with reports describing far-right and far-left parties as front-runners in that race.