France braces for national day of school protests as boy loses hand
France is bracing itself for a national day of protests and high-school blockades as a youth protest movement gathers pace amid a growing debate over the scale of the police response.
In one incident, a 15-year-old protesting against what demonstrators said were France’s dilapidated and understaffed schools had his hand blown off outside a high school in the northern town of Lens, the local prefect François-Xavier Lauch said.
Lauch, the prefect of Pas-de-Calais, declined to comment on the exact circumstances, but said that between 150 and 200 protesters had been hurling a series of objects at police when riot officers intervened. It was uncertain if the incident had involved a police stun grenade or how the injury happened. Lauch said an investigation had been opened.