France bans stun grenade use at high school protests amid police brutality claims; 6,500 protesters arrested

France has suspended the use of stun grenades by police at studentled demonstrations the interior minister said Wednesday as allegations of police brutality mounted after days of protests across the countryMore than 6500 people mostly minors have been arrested since the movement demanding better conditions in high schools began with hundreds of students police and teaching staff injuredOn Tuesday evening after tens of thousands took to the streets across France President Emmanuel Macron held an emergency meeting with Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu and other key ministers to find a way out of the crisisLecornu will speak later Wednesday on the school protests as well as the national finances his office said as the country also wrestles with heated debates over its 2027 budgetThe voice of high school students is precious and must be heard Lecornu reassured in a comment on X adding it would contribute to a concrete action planDespite the response several national education unions have called for new strikes and demonstrations ThursdayInterior Minister Laurent Nunez told radio broadcaster RTL early Wednesday that he had suspended the police use of stun grenades at the student protestsA 15yearold lost a hand on Monday after police fired a stun grenadeI am suspending their use in the high school student protests until the facts of the incident have been clarified said NunezHe stressed that this suspension was only for the high school student protests and for just long enough to understand what happenedLast week a 14yearold student in northwest Paris was hit in the face with a tear gas grenade at such close range that he lost several teethA policeman was charged Tuesday over that incidentPolice have opened 18 internal investigations into allegations of misconduct since the protests began Nunez saidThe unrest comes ahead of a tense 2027 election to choose Macrons successor with farright candidate Marine Le Pen riding high in the polls despite a graft convictionIt took several children being maimed for life for Nunez to give up using grenades against high school students said Manuel Bompard national coordinator of the hardleft France Unbowed LFIThe government has blamed the LFI for stoking tensions around the protestsMeanwhile Le Pen accused Macron of being always on the side of attacking the policeNeed something moreThe protests started in late September with students blocking entrances to hundreds of high schools for 15 to 17yearolds over complaints of dilapidated facilities and teacher shortagesWhile most schools reopened Wednesday more than 500 remained at least partially closed with students blocking doors with mounds of trash binsParents teachers and union workers joined demonstrations in Paris and other cities for a national day of mobilisation TuesdayAt least 488 people were arrested and 43 members of the security forces wounded in the protests Tuesday which saw a quarter of a million people mass across France the interior ministry saidSeveral lawyers representing teens taken into police custody say they have faced physical violence and insultsAinoha Pascual a lawyer representing three minors in Paris said they had been terrorisedA very large majority arrive in custody injured having taken baton blows or being dragged on the ground she addedPrisca Ancion with the Collective for Judicial Action told AFP that every single high schooler arrested reported experiencing an insult a slap having their head held down on the ground chokeholdsMost of Tuesdays demonstrations were peaceful but there were sporadic clashes across the country with protesters throwing projectiles and security forces using tear gas AFP correspondents saidLecornu announced a halfday of class time would be set aside in schools Wednesday to give students and staff the opportunity to voice their issuesHowever student union leader Ryad Rani told local press that the effort was yet another attempt to muzzle the debate and to gain timeAnd the union representative for school principals Nicolas Bonnet told broadcaster franceinfo that to get out of this crisis we will need something more than simple consultation periodsThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever