A 15-year-old boy lost his hand during a confrontation between police and students protesting near a school in Lens, France, on Monday.
The incident occurred outside Auguste Béhal High School in the north-eastern city, with the prefect of Pas-de-Calais, François-Xavier Lauch, describing it as a “very serious incident.”
Lauch said the teenager’s life was not in danger and that he was quickly taken to a nearby hospital for treatment.
The circumstances surrounding the injury remain unclear, with conflicting accounts emerging over how the boy sustained the devastating injury.
AFP, citing a police union source, reported that the teenager appeared to have picked up a sting-ball grenade fired by riot police, which subsequently exploded in his hand.
However, regional newspaper La Voix Du Nord quoted a girl who said she was near the teenager as denying that he picked up the grenade.
“He didn’t pick it up. I was there, I saw it. He didn’t pick it up, he didn’t catch it,” she said.
Lens Mayor Sylvain Robert said the circumstances of the incident had yet to be established.
“Like you, and like many others, I have seen some videos showing the aftermath. But I did not see how the operation was organised, either by the police or by the students,” he told French media.
A regional prosecutor said the French police watchdog, the General Inspection of the National Police, would investigate the incident to establish what happened.
According to Lauch, a larger-than-usual gathering of students had assembled outside the school before the confrontation.
“At the start of the morning, they threw various projectiles at the local police officers who were on site initially. When I say projectiles, I mean stones, fireworks, and mortars,” he said.
“Instructions were given by the interdepartmental director of the National Police, naturally with my approval, to deploy a company of riot police (CRS) here to maintain order, and it was in this context that this event occurred.”
The school subsequently announced that it would switch to distance learning to protect students and staff, while a listening and support unit was also established.
The incident came amid continuing student protests across France over school conditions and staffing.
About 500 schools were partially or completely closed on Monday, while authorities said at least 190 students had been injured since the protests began.
Last week, another 14-year-old student, identified as Eden, was seriously injured in Saint-Ouen-l’Aumône after reportedly being struck in the head by a tear gas grenade.
According to his lawyer, Eden suffered a double jaw fracture and underwent major surgery, prompting Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez to order an investigation.
Speaking at a news conference on Monday, Eden’s mother said her son was struggling to eat because his jaw had been wired shut.
“His jaw is wired shut. He can’t eat except through a straw and only liquids,” she said, according to BFMTV.
“It’s shameful, it’s appalling, it’s violent, it’s horrific,” she added, saying, “This should not happen. They are dealing with children who are asking for better conditions in which to study.”
