France suspends stun grenades at student protests

France’s Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said Wednesday he had temporarily suspended police use of stun grenades at high-school protests, following days of demonstrations and allegations of excessive force. The announcement came after a 15-year-old lost a hand during a protest in Lens on Monday. Authorities have not confirmed how the injury occurred or whether the teenager picked up a grenade or was struck by one. Nuñez said police had opened 18 internal investigations into alleged misconduct during the protests. The cases include allegations involving serious injuries, according to his account. A separate incident in Paris involved a 14-year-old who was hit in the face by a tear gas grenade and lost several teeth; a police officer was charged in connection with that incident on Tuesday. Reports differed on whether the suspension also covered tear gas. The Interior Ministry statement as described in most accounts concerned stun grenades, while one account said both stun grenades and tear gas had been suspended. The scope of the temporary restriction was not otherwise clarified.