French school protest injures teen in Lens as unrest enters third week

A teenager’s hand was blown off during clashes between students and riot police in northern France on Monday, as school protests over underfunding and poor conditions entered their third week. The 15-year-old lost his hand and part of his lower arm after picking up a police dispersal grenade that detonated in Lens, according to regional newspaper La Voix du Nord. A local prefect said 200 to 250 protesters had been hurling objects at police, while rights groups accuse authorities of using heavy-handed tactics against minors, including batons, tear gas and rubber bullets. The government has blamed hard-left lawmakers for stoking the unrest, while officials say 5,060 people have been arrested since protests began, 87 per cent of them minors. Hundreds of schools have been closed or damaged, with dozens of students and staff injured, ahead of a planned national demonstration on Tuesday.