A 15-year-old protester has had his hand blown off. Protests have been raging across France against the country’s school system in far-reaching mass action that has seen 500 high schools closed or partially closed on Monday. The teen was initially said to have lost their hand after allegedly picking up a police stun grenade, according to local French outlet ⁠La Voix du Nord. However, uncertainty remains about how the

boy sustained the injury. The same outlet cited one girl who said, “He didn’t pick it up. I was there, I saw it. He didn’t pick it up, he didn’t catch it.” It happened in the northern town of Lens, local prefect François-Xavier Lauch said, and Reuters reported that an investigation has since been launched. “The student’s life is not in danger,” he said, but did describe it as a “very serious incident.” France’s Education Minister Édouard Geffray confirmed the full or partial closures on Sunday, and said that 24 schools had been “burned or ransacked” since the unrest started. He added that 190 students had been injured. The riots involve thousands of students and began in Paris, then spread to cities including Montpellier, Nantes and Marseille, the BBC reports. Protesters claim school buildings are run-down, classrooms are overfilled, and there aren’t enough teachers. French Justice Minister Gérald Darmanin said that of the country’s 3,7000 high schools, “one way or another” 735 schools had been affected.