France Suspends Stun Grenade Use by Police as Student Protest Crisis Deepens

France has temporarily barred its police forces from deploying stun grenades during student demonstrations, the country's interior minister announced Wednesday, as the government scrambles to contain a wave of nationwide protests that has left hundreds injured and reignited fierce debate over the treatment of minors by security forces.

Interior Minister Laurent Nunez confirmed the suspension during an early morning interview with French radio broadcaster RTL, saying the measure would remain in place while authorities assess the volatile situation on the ground. The decision followed days of escalating clashes between officers and young demonstrators, with graphic images of injured teenagers circulating widely on social media and drawing condemnation from human rights organizations.

The announcement came just one day after hundreds of thousands of students, parents, teachers and union members marched through Paris and other French cities to demand increased funding for education and improved conditions in the country's high schools. The scale of the mobilization prompted President Emmanuel Macron to convene an emergency meeting with Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu and other senior ministers at the Elysee Palace in an urgent effort to defuse the crisis.

Lecornu was scheduled to deliver a public address later Wednesday covering both the school protests and the nation's broader financial situation, according to his office. The dual focus of his remarks underscored the political pressure mounting on the government, which faces an education crisis alongside persistent fiscal challenges that have strained public services across the country.

The most dramatic injury to emerge from the unrest involved a 15-year-old in the northern city of Lens, who lost a hand on Monday after police fired a stun grenade in his vicinity. The incident has become a flashpoint in the national conversation about policing tactics, particularly the use of potentially lethal weapons against young people in crowded urban settings.

In a separate case that has intensified public anger, a 14-year-old student was struck in the face by a tear gas grenade at such close range that he lost several teeth. A police officer was charged Tuesday in connection with that incident in Paris, marking the first known criminal charge against law enforcement since the protests began. The case has been widely cited by critics as evidence that some officers are acting with impunity.

Nunez acknowledged the gravity of the situation by revealing that police have opened 18 internal investigations into allegations of misconduct since the demonstrations started in late September. The investigations signal that authorities are at least formally examining claims of excessive force, though activists argue that internal reviews rarely result in meaningful accountability.

The protests first erupted in late September, when students began blocking entrances to hundreds of high schools serving 15- to 17-year-olds. Their complaints centered on deteriorating school buildings and a worsening shortage of teachers, with demonstrators demanding that the government allocate substantially more funding to the education system. What began as scattered school occupations quickly snowballed into a broader social movement.

Parents, teachers and unionized workers joined the demonstrations on Tuesday, transforming the student-led action into a wider coalition demanding better public services and expressing frustration with the government's handling of the crisis. The participation of adults significantly broadened the movement's political weight, making it harder for officials to dismiss the protests as the isolated grievances of restless teenagers.

The government has pushed back firmly against accusations that it ordered a crackdown on young protesters. Lecornu condemned the violence on Tuesday and told lawmakers that disorder would not be tolerated, while rejecting characterizations of the police response as "repression." His remarks reflected the delicate balance the government is attempting to strike between restoring order and avoiding further inflaming public opinion.

Authorities contend that the originally peaceful protest movement has been infiltrated by outsiders who have steered it toward urban violence. That narrative has been contested by organizers, who insist the vast majority of participants are students and their supporters exercising legitimate democratic rights. The competing accounts have fueled a bitter war of words between the government and protest leaders.

The scale of the unrest is reflected in stark statistics released by the interior and justice ministries. Some 6,100 people have been arrested since the protests began last month, the overwhelming majority of them minors. More than 1,800 people are being prosecuted, including 1,483 minors, though the Justice Ministry did not specify the nature of the alleged offenses.

Casualty figures released by Lecornu's office paint a picture of widespread confrontation, with at least 715 police officers and 215 teenagers reported injured in clashes across the country. The toll underscores the intensity of the confrontations and the human cost on both sides of the barricades. Sporadic violent skirmishes have broken out at what have otherwise been largely peaceful demonstrations.

Rights groups, student organizations and parents' associations have accused authorities of using disproportionate force against minors, arguing that weapons designed for riot control are inappropriate in situations involving children. The temporary ban on stun grenades at protests represents a partial concession to those concerns, though critics say it does not go far enough in addressing the broader pattern of policing tactics.

The decision to suspend stun grenade use may ease tensions in the short term, but it also places the government in a difficult position. If violence continues, officials could face accusations of failing to maintain order. If police restrain themselves and disorder spreads, the government may be blamed for allowing chaos. Either outcome carries significant political risk for Macron's administration.

For now, all eyes are on Lecornu's upcoming address, which could signal whether the government intends to offer concessions on education funding or pursue a harder line against the protests. The prime minister's dual mandate to address both schooling and the country's finances suggests the government may attempt to tie the unrest to broader budget debates, framing educational investment as part of a larger fiscal reckoning that France cannot avoid.

As the standoff continues, the coming days will be critical in determining whether the suspension of stun grenades marks the beginning of de-escalation or merely a pause before the next round of confrontation. Students and their supporters have shown no signs of backing down, and the government's response in the hours ahead may shape the trajectory of one of the most significant youth-led protest movements France has seen in recent years.