A 15-year-old student had his hand torn off when a grenade exploded during a demonstration outside his school in Lens, northern France, prompting an investigation by the national police inspectorate into allegations of violence causing mutilation.
What Happened at the Lycée Auguste-Béhal
The incident occurred on Monday morning at around 10:30 a.m. near the Auguste-Béhal vocational school in the Pas-de-Calais town. According to the regional prefect, François-Xavier Lauch, a group of 200 to 250 students had gathered and thrown stones, fireworks and mortar projectiles at police officers.
A CRS riot squad company was deployed in front of the school to maintain order. Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said officers had been “extremely violently attacked,” with projectiles thrown and “at least one Molotov cocktail” launched, adding that standard warnings were issued before police responded.
The teenager, who was in his first year of a vocational course, was hospitalised in Lille. The prefect said his life was not in danger.
Conflicting Accounts of the Explosion
The exact circumstances remain unclear. The Béthune public prosecutor, Etienne Thieffry, said investigators could not yet confirm whether the teenager had picked up a grenade that exploded in his hand or whether the device had landed on him.
Speaking to local broadcaster ICI Nord, a female student who witnessed the scene said the victim “received something on his hand and it exploded. I saw his hand explode,” insisting that “he didn’t pick it up, he received it on his hand.”
Several students described the events as occurring during a crowd movement. The prosecutor said he could not confirm or deny the use of any specific type of grenade. Interior Minister Nuñez later said the teenager was injured by a “stun grenade,” after a police union source initially told AFP it was a disencirclement grenade.
Investigation and Official Response
The national police inspectorate, known as the “police of the police,” was tasked on Monday with investigating “violence causing mutilation and permanent disability” in order to establish the full chronology of events.
Prosecutor Thieffry outlined the scope of the inquiry, citing CCTV and body-camera footage, videos posted on social media, interviews with the victim once his condition allows, and hearings with officers present, witnesses and police radio communications. Investigators will also identify the grenades used and verify whether their use complied with doctrine and regulations.
Education Minister Edouard Geffray called the situation “humanly dramatic.” Nuñez said it was “obviously a tragedy — you don’t lose your hand at a protest,” while Xavier Bertrand, the centre-right president of the Hauts-de-France region, said “no demonstration should produce such a terrible tragedy.”
Support for Students and Staff
The victim support association France Victimes 62 has been assigned to assist the teenager and his family. A medical-psychological emergency unit was activated to support students and staff at the school, which has switched to remote teaching.
A teacher at the school, speaking on condition of anonymity and holding back tears, described the prevailing mood as one of “shock, dismay and anger.” She noted that the teenager is “just a kid” in a vocational programme, adding that “his professional future is going to be complicated” after losing the use of a hand.
Outside the school on Tuesday, a final-year student named Iliès expressed fear about what could happen next. Mélina, 16, said she was afraid of police “patrolling everywhere” as CRS vans were deployed near several schools in the town, but said she wanted to keep protesting — “while being especially careful.”
Political Fallout
The incident has reignited debate over French policing tactics. Left-wing figures condemned the doctrine of maintaining public order, with Green party leader Marine Tondelier calling for reform of both schools and policing methods, and Communist Party leader Fabien Roussel declaring that “you don’t keep order by mutilating our youth.”
Boris Vallaud, who heads the Socialist deputies in the National Assembly, demanded that the interior minister be heard before the chamber’s law committee and announced his group would introduce a bill to prevent the use of mutilating weapons or “brutal practices” such as chokeholds during protests involving minors.
The government defended police conduct. Government spokesperson Maud Bregeon said officers’ interventions were “proportionate to the acts they observe on the ground,” while Nuñez insisted that operations since the start of the student movement had been carried out with “the greatest proportionality” and, when dealing with schoolchildren, with “even more tact.”
