France suspends use of stun grenades as protests spread to Belgium

The French government said on Wednesday it was pausing the use of stun grenades in its policing of student protests, after a 15-year-old boy's hand was blown off during a clash with riot police, fuelling protesters' accusations of police brutality.

While most of Wednesday's blockades were peaceful, police used tear gas and pushed back protesters in a street barricaded by rubbish bins outside Sciences Po university in central Paris.

Rights groups, labour unions, students and some opposition politicians have accused the police of using disproportionate force to quell the wave of protests.

Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said he had ordered the suspension of the use of stun grenades following an incident in the northern city of Lens on Monday in which there was a "strong possibility" the firing of a stun grenade had caused a teenager to lose his hand.

"I am suspending their use for the high-school students' movement until light has been shed on what happened in this case," said the minister, who added that 18 incidents in total had been referred to the police inspectorate for investigation.

'Crumbling walls, no teachers'

The student-led protests were sparked in late September after what started out as a peaceful demonstration at a suburban Paris high school descended into clashes with security forces and widespread public order disturbances across France. 

Protesters cited frustration over low scores in reading and maths over the past decade, blaming poor learning conditions were to blame for the sharp drop

French 15-year-olds scored 43 points lower in reading in 2025 than in 2015, according to the OECD's Programme for International Student Assessment, the biggest drop among the OECD countries. Their maths scores also dropped the most.

"We saw there were lots of crumbling walls, a shortage of teachers in public schools, absent teachers," said Gabriel Fillieule, who used to attend a public school but now goes to a private one. He and others said they were protesting to demand better learning conditions for all.

In the days since, unrest has swept across the nation, with some schools set on fire, thousands arrested, and police personel injured. More than 500 schools continue to shut their doors, and unions representing high-school students, teachers and other workers planning more marches for Thursday.

Political ramifications

The wave of protests has revealed widespread public anger six months ahead of an election to replace President Emmanuel Macron, alongside frustration at expected public sector cuts of over $60bn.

While Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu has acknowledged the "legitimate" demands of France's students, his government, under pressure to tame public debt amid weak growth, has little spare cash to address students' complaints of teacher shortages, ageing school buildings and inequalities between schools in affluent and poor areas.

Education Minister Edouard Geffray told parliament that 24 high schools had been damaged by fire or vandalism to the extent that they would remain closed for weeks, meaning some 30,000 students would receive no in-person teaching until they reopened.

He estimated it would cost up to $34 million to fix the damage.

Far-right presidential candidate Marine Le Pen, the frontrunner according to opinion polls, said those who damaged schools should pay for the repairs rather than taxpayers.

The government has adopted a similar stance and has a bill going through parliament that aims to set up such a system.

Spreading anger

The unrest over education has now spread across the border into neighboring Belgium. 

Over Tuesday and Wednesday (October 6-7), police arrested more than 100 people in the Belgian city of Liege after student protesters clashed with authorities as they demanded better education conditions.

The arrests included 80 administrative arrests and 27 judicial arrests, police said to local media.

In scenes that echo the French cities of Paris and Lille, videos circulating on social media showed shattered glass strewn across streets, fires burning in several locations and hundreds of protesters, many of them appearing to be young.

Students were filmed chanting in French "Be young, don’t shut up, revolt instead".

Other footage also showed police blocking roads amid the unrest, using tear gas and water cannons to disperse protesters.

Students across Belgium's French-language districts staged protests over the education system, citing concerns including the cost of higher education and public transport, overcrowded classrooms and difficulties obtaining study materials.

One protesting student said it "is very important, both for France and for Belgium, not to forget that we are citizens. We are children, we are adults, but we are also students and future citizens of Belgium.”

While these protests appear to take inspiration from the unrest that is currently gripping neighboring France, the agitation follows June clashes between demonstrators and police in Brussels during protests against reforms to part of Belgium's education sector.

The government of Belgium's French-speaking community, which oversees francophone education, increased annual higher education tuition fees for most students to $1,280 from $934.

It's not just Belgium that has seen teaching protests. In Portugal, the main teachers' union FENPROF launched an indefinite strike in mid-September over working conditions, with teachers refusing to do any unpaid work beyond the 35 hours a week mandated by law.

And in Spain, teachers' unions have been protesting conditions in state schools. Teachers in Madrid plan a strike on October 14 to press demands including a reduction in hours, smaller class sizes and higher salaries.