France Suspends Stun Grenades at Student Protests Following Severe Injury

According to reporting by The Local, French authorities have suspended the use of stun grenades at high school protests following an incident where a teenager suffered the traumatic amputation of his hand after being struck by a device fired by police. The decision comes as secondary educational institutions remained shuttered across parts of the country on Wednesday, with student groups vowing to maintain their mobilization and protest actions despite the partial security concession. This domestic flashpoint taps into a wider, contentious European debate surrounding crowd control tactics, policing methods, and the proportionality of force used against young demonstrators. Across the European Union, the militarisation of internal security and the deployment of potentially lethal or injurious less-lethal weapons—such as GLI-F4 stun grenades—have faced intense scrutiny from civil liberties watchdogs and human rights organizations, raising questions about compliance with fundamental European charter rights regarding peaceful assembly. For French policymakers, the incident increases pressure to reform public order strategies ahead of upcoming municipal and legislative milestones, while local businesses and families grapple with ongoing educational disruptions. Citizens and civil rights advocates will closely monitor upcoming administrative rulings and parliamentary debates expected later this month, which could permanently restrict the operational toolkit available to law enforcement during civil unrest.

Source: The Local. Read the original report ↗