Teenager's hand blown off during confrontation between France school protesters and police

A 15‑year‑old boy suffered a traumatic injury when his hand was blown off during unrest outside a school in Lens on Monday morning, according to Pas‑de‑Calais prefect François‑Xavier Lauch. Lauch described the episode as a “very superior incident” and said the teenager’s “beingness is not successful danger.” He added that the youth was transferred “very quickly” to a nearby infirmary for treatment. Around 500 schools were partially oregon wholly closed across the state on Monday as pupil protests over school building conditions and staffing levels continued, leading to clashes with police in recent days. French media have offered mixed accounts of how the boy sustained the injury. La Voix Du Nord reported that the adolescent lost his hand after picking up a police stun grenade. Officials have not yet released further details. Lauch said a “larger gathering” of students than on previous days had assembled outside the Auguste Béhal high school. He told reporters, “At the commencement of the morning, they threw assorted projectiles at the local police officers who were on site initially. When I say projectiles, I mean stones, fireworks, and mortars.” He continued, “Instructions were given by the interdepartmental manager of the National Police, together with my approval, to deploy a unit of riot police (CRS) here to maintain order, and it was in this context that this incident occurred.” The prefect noted that an investigation would be carried out by the French police watchdog, the General Inspection of the National Police (IGPN), “so each airy tin be shed connected what happened.” The Auguste Béhal high school issued a statement Monday morning: “In light of the events that took place this morning and in order to guarantee the safety of the entire school community, the institution is switching to remote learning from now on.” It added, “In addition, to support everyone during this period, a listening and support unit has also been set up at the establishment.”