Blocking, protests or other incidents related to student mobilization in France today affected more than 400 schools. The protests call for more substitute teachers, better working conditions for school buildings and teaching.
© REUTERS/Yves Herman
05/10/2026
by
News to Minute, Lusa
U15-year-old adolescent suffered, this Monday, the amputation of a hand in Lens, northern France, during student protests, when a grenade exploded in his left hand.
The incident took place in front of a school, around 10:30 local, as announced by François-Xavier Lauch, mayor of Pas-de-Calais, and Béthune's public prosecutor, Étienne Thieffry, during a press conference.
“ Unfortunately, a high school student was seriously injured during a demonstration. A 15-year-old had his hand torn off,” said François-Xavier Lauch, mayor of Pas-de-Calais, quoted by Le Parisien.
The 15-year-old was struck by a grenade fired by the shock police, which then exploded, according to the first investigations. The student was immediately helped by emergency services and taken urgently to the University Hospital of Lille, but is not life-threatening.
The National Police’s General Inspection (PGN), a police oversight body, opened an investigation into allegations of “violence that resulted in permanent disability/mutilation”.
The investigation aims “to fully clarify the chronology of the facts and the account of the events that led to the amputation of the hand” of the young man and also “to determine whether the criteria for the use of this type of grenade have been met,” the French prosecutor added.
Over 400 schools affected
Blocks, protests or other incidents related to student mobilization in France today affected more than 400 schools in this country, according to the Ministry of Education.
This mobilization calls for more substitute teachers, better working conditions for school buildings and teaching.
In all, 413 schools were affected today, a number representing a 27% drop compared to 564 on Friday morning and 32% against 610 registered on Thursday.
The authorities stressed that 40% of the schools affected this Monday had not previously recorded incidents, which, in their opinion, suggests an attempt to extend the movement to other schools.
France has 3,700 secondary schools.
In addition to school blockades, protests were accompanied by fires, material damage and clashes with security forces, which were repeated this Monday in some schools in cities such as Paris and Toulouse, among others.