Teen loses hand picking up police grenade as France school protests continue

A 15-year-old student lost a hand on Monday picking up a police grenade as part of nationwide protests in France over classroom conditions that have disrupted lessons at hundreds of schools since last week.

Authorities said the teenager was injured in the northern town of Lens. A police union source told French news agency AFP he appeared to have picked up a sting-ball grenade fired by riot police and that it exploded in his hand.

Bilal Narjissi, a 17-year-old protester, told CBS News his school had a rat infestation. Student leader Daphnee Die said the violence has been sparked by the students' frustration.

The unrest erupted months before elections next year that will determine the successor to centrist President Emmanuel Macron.

The government has sought to address the grievances, while accusing hard-left activists of having hijacked the protest movement.

"We can see that in the instructions given to the police, there is no directive to show restraint, even though they are dealing with children," league President Nathalie Tehio said.

A third of the 468 lycees for teenagers aged 15 to 17 were expected to be closed in the Paris region, authorities said.

"We're missing our lessons to give you one," read one cardboard sign outside the Turgot high school, located in Paris' 3rd arrondissement.

Some protesters outside the Gustave Eiffel high school set off fireworks in the direction of the police, who responded sporadically with tear gas, but overall the situation remained calm, AFP reporters said.

The movement started on Sept. 17 at a high school in the Paris suburb of Creteil, in support of teachers striking over a lack of staff and resources.

It gained momentum and spread across France, at times spiraling into vandalism, including the destruction of bus shelters, the burning of school entrances and clashes between protesters and security forces.

He called a meeting for Tuesday with regional presidents to discuss overhauling the country's often-dilapidated school buildings.