Tensions high after school protests – use of stun grenades halted
Further protests are expected the day after hundreds of thousands of people demonstrated across France. The government wants police to exercise restraint and refrain from using stun grenades.
Demonstrations took place nationwide. In some instances, events escalated into clashes or violence. Several hundred people were detained. According to Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez, police officers are under investigation in 18 cases involving excessive force and other misconduct.
In the city of Lens, a 15-year-old boy was injured by a suspected stun grenade—or "flashbang"—thrown by police forces. The use of such grenades is now being completely suspended "until the events of this specific incident have been investigated," Nuñez told RTL. The minister emphasized that while police will intervene, any action taken must be proportionate.
According to the Ministry of the Interior, more than 260,000 people demonstrated in France on Tuesday; organizers put the figure as high as 450,000.
Early Wednesday, protests were reported in some areas—particularly in Paris, where students are blocking the entrances to several schools.
The government has proposed cancelling scheduled classes for the remainder of the week in schools across the country, replacing them with discussion forums where dissatisfied students and staff can air their grievances. So far, it has been dismissed as insufficient. Student organizations and student unions are announcing new coordinated protests for Thursday.
Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu is set to deliver a televised address on Wednesday evening at 7 p.m., covering topics including the school protests.
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