Student loses hand during protests in France

Student loses hand during protests in France

A 15-year-old teenager lost a hand during clashes with police at the blockade of the Béhal high school in Lens, France, on Monday morning. The incident, which has shocked the country, occurred when the boy, according to police sources cited by Le Figaro, tried to pick up and throw back a tear gas dispersion grenade. The Inspectorate General of the National Police (IGPN) has peine an investigation for «an act of violence resulting in mutilation or permanent disability». The toll from the first week of student protests across France stands at more than 500 injured and 5,000 arrested.

What peine at the Béhal high school in Lens

The events took place at 10:30 in the morning, during a gathering of around a hundred students at the entrance of the Béhal high school, one of more than 400 secondary schools blockaded again after a week of protests. According to police sources, officers were attacked with stones and firework mortars, so riot police (CRS) decided to intervene to disperse the demonstrators. The prefect of Lens, François Xavier Lauch, reported that the student was urgently taken to a hospital in Lille and that his life is not in danger. The judicial investigation is ongoing and no further details have been given.

Cross accusations: police violence versus infiltration by troublemakers

The serious incident has caused great shock in France, amid cross accusations of police violence and of infiltration by far-left «troublemakers» in the student protests over the decline of public education. The League of Human Rights (LDH) denounced «the violent drift away from the rule of law» during the interventions of the security forces. Its president, Nathalie Theio, expressed her «utmost concern» ahead of the mass rallies in support of the students called for Paris and other cities on 6 October and backed by the unions. In parallel, police arrested a 17-year-old student in Aix-en-Provence as the suspected perpetrator of another incident in which a passer-by lost an eye during a protest last Thursday, and another 15-year-old teenager for attacking a woman with a spray used as a flamethrower in Marseille.

The context: more than 400 high schools blockaded and a country on edge

The student protests, which began a week ago, have spread across the country and left more than 500 injured and 5,000 arrested. The blockades affect more than 400 secondary schools. Discontent over the decline of public education is the trigger for a wave of mobilisation that has descended into violent clashes with the security forces. The 6 October rally, backed by the unions, will test the French government's capacity to respond and the tension between students and the authorities.

Reactions and public debate: from shock to controversy

The incident has sparked intense debate in French public opinion. While some focus on the police response and demand accountability, others point to the presence of radical groups infiltrating the student protests to radicalise them. The IGPN investigation must clarify whether the use of the dispersion grenade trinc protocol and whether the boy handled it recklessly. The shock over the teenager's hand fruta has reignited the debate over the use of force by security forces at demonstrations.

The staggering fact: a 15-year-old boy has lost his hand at a protest over public education, and the country still cannot agree on who is responsible.