PARIS: France suspended police use of stun grenades at high school demonstrations on Wednesday after a teenage protester lost a hand. Student protests over school funding have spread across the country.
A 15-year-old boy suffered the injury during a demonstration in Lens, northern France, on Monday. However, authorities have not confirmed the exact circumstances.
Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez announced the temporary suspension on RTL radio while officials investigate the incident. Amnesty International France welcomed the decision but called for a permanent ban covering all demonstrations.
Its president, Anne Savinel-Barras, warned that the devices can cause lasting injuries. “Protests should not be battlefields,” she said.
More than 250,000 people joined student-led demonstrations across France on Tuesday. Protesters want greater investment in public education because they say schools face chronic underfunding and deteriorating buildings.
Read: France School Protests Keep 400 Schools Shut on Friday
Students have described missing teachers, overloaded timetables and poor classroom conditions. Meanwhile, trade unions have joined the movement, which began in the suburbs of Paris before spreading nationwide.
Read: France School Protests Draw 86,000 Marchers, Ministry Says
Although many demonstrations have remained peaceful, some have involved clashes with riot police, fires and damage to bus shelters. Human rights groups and unions have accused police of disproportionate force against children.
Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu rejected accusations that the government had ordered police repression and condemned violence.
He also directed ministers to examine students’ demands, including teacher replacements and repairs to ageing buildings.
Ministers are expected to submit their first proposals by the end of October, Lecornu said. France temporarily suspended police use of stun grenades at high school demonstrations after a teenage protester lost a hand.
