Protests Close Hundreds of French Schools as Student Sustains Serious Hand Injury in Clashes
Police watchdog opens an investigation after a 15-year-old lost his hand amid clashes during nationwide protests over school conditions.
- On Monday, Education Minister Edouard Geffray ordered lessons suspended at between 400 and 500 high schools across France, citing unmet security conditions after nearly three weeks of student blockades and protests.
- Students across France have protested since mid-September over overcrowded classrooms with up to 35 pupils, teacher shortages, dilapidated buildings and long school days, with tens of thousands demonstrating in cities including Marseille, Strasbourg, Tours and Lille.
- Violent clashes have resulted in more than 5,000 arrests, about 85 percent of them minors, while 78 education staff members were injured and 24 schools burned or ransacked since the movement began.
- Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu vowed not to "yield an inch to violence" and pledged to accelerate a casseur-payer bill making those responsible for property damage liable for repair costs, as Geffray alleged far-left activists infiltrated the movement.
- Protest organizers called for continued demonstrations Tuesday, October 6, dubbed Act III, while teaching unions including the CGT, CFDT and FSU scheduled a national strike for the same day, citing lack of concrete government measures.
240 Articles
240 Articles
A teenage protester has lost a hand during the furious school protests in France, the television channel BFMTV reports.
The police force, the IGPN, has opened an investigation, the seventh since the beginning of the high school mobilization.
A 15-year-old student was seriously injured during a high school protest in Lens, France. His left hand was blown off in an explosion, and the French police inspectorate is investigating whether the injury was caused by a grenade used by riot police.
A Minor Loses a Hand During Protests that Have Forced the Closure of More than 400 Schools in France
The teenager reportedly tried to pick up a stun projectile thrown by the police in Lens, in the north of the country. More information: France convenes a crisis cabinet after the fire of an institute in Nantes during student protests
The serious incident causes a great shock, between cross accusations against police violence and the infiltration of "disturbers" from the extreme left.
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