The incident unfolded amid a wave of school blockades that have shut more than 400 high schools across France, as the government pushes a 2027 deficit‑reduction package. Education Minister Edouard Geffray said 24 schools had been burned or ransacked and 78 teaching staff injured since the protests began in a Paris suburb.
In Lens, a 15‑year‑old protester reached for a police stun grenade that had been dropped during a confrontation with officers. “The student was seized by the grenade, which caused a severe hand injury,” said a Lens town official, adding that the police are investigating.
Nationally, the unrest has led to 5,000 arrests, dozens injured, and damage estimated at tens of millions of euros. The protests have spread to Lille, Toulouse, and central Paris, where a fire was quickly extinguished after an attempted break‑in.
Paris police chief Patrice Faure wrote on X that the original organisers had lost control and urged students to abandon blockades in favour of peaceful demonstrations. CGT union chief Sophie Binet told TF1 that union members would attend the Tuesday demonstrations “to protect high school students.”
Police have opened a formal inquiry into the Lens incident, and a nationwide day of demonstrations is slated for Tuesday, raising fears that far‑left and anarchist groups could spark further violence.