France Halts Stun Grenades After Student’s Hand Is Blown Off

Wed Oct 07 2026 11:39:28 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time)

France suspends the use of stun grenades in student protests after a 15‑year‑old’s hand was blown off, prompting calls for police restraint and school reforms.

France’s Interior Minister Laurie Nunez has halted the deployment of stun grenades in demonstrations following a tragic incident in Lens where a 15‑year‑old boy lost his hand after a grenade detonated. The decision comes amid widespread student protests over educational conditions that have seen hundreds of thousands in the streets, tear gas, water cannons, and numerous arrests. Police investigations are ongoing, with 18 inquiries opened by the monitoring agency IGPN to assess proportionality. The move reflects mounting criticism of police force in high schools and a broader reckoning on the use of non‑lethal weapons in civil unrest.

France has suspended the use of stun grenades for policing student protests at a national level, after a 15‑year‑old boy suffered a severe injury earlier this week.

Interior Minister Laurent Nunez announced that stun grenades would be paused "until the facts of Monday’s incident in Lens have been clarified," citing divergent accounts from protestors and officials. The incident, which involved an anti‑encirclement grenade, has drawn alarm over the proportionality of police response.

The protests, which began in mid‑September, have seen more than 250,000 participants nationwide demand better school conditions, higher teacher pay and less overcrowding. In some cities tear gas and water cannons have already been deployed, and 488 people were arrested as police confronted student groups.

Nunez told radio RTL that the Independent Watchdog IGPN has opened 18 investigations to determine whether officers acted proportionally. The Ministry of the Interior stressed that the government’s priority is to "protect high school students" while ensuring order.

The boy’s hand was sheared off when the grenade – described as a ‘non‑lethal’ device that emits rubber pellets – detonated near the Auguste Béhal high school in Lens. Authorities say he picked up the device, while students claim it exploded after an officer fired it directly at him. The prefect of the region confirmed that the police were confronted by a group of 200‑250 students throwing stones and fireworks.

Similar incidents have surfaced; a 14‑year‑old was struck by a tear gas grenade in Saint‑Ouen‑l’Aumône, leaving him with multiple teeth lost, a fractured jaw and a police officer charged with misconduct. Meanwhile, prosecutors opened an attempted‑murder case over an arrest that allegedly involved a teenager’s head being submerged in water in Belfort.

Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu has condemned the violence, noting that from the start of the demonstrations 215 students, 85 staff and 715 police officers have been injured. Overall, more than 6,500 people have been detained or arrested. President Emmanuel Macron held an emergency meeting with Cabinet to devise a strategy for the crises affecting around 60% of secondary schools.

Students’ unions estimate the protestors at 450,000 and plan a fourth round of demonstrations for Thursday in Paris and other cities. Ryad Rani, head of the USL high school union, urged the Interior Minister to "calm the police and call for restraint," while the government faces international scrutiny over its handling of protest policing.

The suspension of stun grenades marks a significant shift in France’s approach to crowd control amid a broader debate on the necessity and safety of non‑lethal weapons during civil unrest.