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French police face intense scrutiny after student protesters suffer severe, war-like injuries
M
Moneycontrol•16-10-2026, 18:27
French police face intense scrutiny after student protesters suffer severe, war-like injuries
- •French police are facing widespread criticism after student protesters suffered severe, war-like injuries including lost hands, broken jaws, and permanent eye damage during high school demonstrations.
- •Interior Minister Laurent Nunez reported that internal bodies are investigating 36 allegations of police violence, prompting the temporary suspension of stun grenades during student protests.
- •In Lens, 15-year-old Evan lost his left hand and fingers after a grenade exploded, while 14-year-old Eden suffered jaw fractures from a tear-gas canister in Saint-Ouen-lAumone.
- •Human rights groups, UN experts, and lawyers have renewed calls for stricter limits or bans on less-lethal crowd-control weapons used by French law enforcement.
- •Justice Ministry figures revealed that over 6,700 minors under 18 have been taken into police custody since mid-September, raising concerns among human rights advocates.
Key Questions Answered
The protests were driven by student demands for better school facilities, the replacement of absent or unavailable teachers, and repairs to deteriorating buildings.
Following severe injuries to teenagers, Interior Minister Laurent Nunez suspended the use of stun grenades in policing the high-school student movement until circumstances were clarified, though other less-lethal weapons remained in use.
According to figures from France's Justice Ministry released in mid-October 2026, 6,773 people under the age of 18 had been taken into police custody since the protests began.
