The accident occurred during Monday's protests in Lens, northern France, where several hundred students are reported to have occupied the area around Béhal High School. According to French media, the 15-year-old student picked up a police grenade, which then exploded in his hand. He is reported to have sustained non-life-threatening injuries.
The ongoing protests are shaking France. So far, at least 5,000 people have been arrested, many of them minors, and about 20 schools have been set on fire or looted. On Monday, a high school in Paris was evacuated after one of its entrances was set on fire, according to French media.
Teaching has been completely or partially suspended at several hundred French secondary schools.
Students are demanding more resources for secondary schools, pointing in particular to substandard facilities, overcrowded classrooms and teachers who are not replaced when absent. Much of the anger is also directed at a new admissions system that is seen as contributing to inequality, Le Figaro writes.
The national organization of high school students has promised to escalate the protests starting Tuesday.
