France is suspending the use of stun grenades at student-led protests as people report allegations of police brutality at demonstrations that have widened over the weeks.
“I am suspending their use in the high school student protests until the facts of the incident have been clarified,” Interior Minister Laurent Nunez told RTL radio broadcaster on Wednesday.
He emphasized that the suspension was “only for the high school student protests” and for “just long enough to understand what happened.”
Nunez announced the measure to curb growing anger after reports of serious injuries to teenage protesters drew public anger.
French regional newspaper La Voix du Nord reported this Monday that a 15-year-old had his hand and a part of his lower arm blown off after picking up a police stun grenade that then detonated during protests.
Last week, a 14-year-old student in northwest Paris was hit in the jaw as a tear gas canister was fired during protests, with the officer having been charged on Tuesday.
Wednesday’s order comes before an address by Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu to protesters later Wednesday evening.
The demonstrations are also taking place at a difficult time for the French government as it tries to rein in its debts while facing demands to spend more on public services.
Protests first began mid-September in the Paris region after students began mobilizing against perceived inequalities in the education system.
From the outset, pupils said teaching, facilities and opportunities for advancement weren’t as good for students in disadvantaged neighborhoods — despite the promise of France’s national motto of “Liberty, Equality, Fraternity.”
Demonstrations then spread to all parts of the country, including smaller towns with high schools.
On Tuesday, trade unions joined student protests. The Interior Ministry said nearly 256,000 people took part in protests nationwide on Tuesday.
Protests turned violent in Paris, where small groups of protesters clashed with riot officers at a city square toward the end.
More than 6,500 people have been arrested over the course of the last two weeks, most of them minors.