France suspended the use of stun grenades by police at student protests sweeping the nation after a 15-year-old student lost a hand.

High school students hold placards as they demonstrate Tuesday in the streets of Paris. Hundreds of thousands of students and their supporters took part in nationwide protests across France to protest school conditions. On Wednesday, France suspended the use of stun grenades against the protesters after a student lost a hand. Photo by Maya Vidon-White/UPI UPI High school students hold placards as they demonstrate Tuesday in the streets of Paris. On Wednesday, France suspended the use of stun grenades against the protesterss after a student lost a hand. Photo by Maya Vidon-White/UPI UPI High school students hold placards as they demonstrate Tuesday in the streets of Paris. Hundreds of thousands of students and their supporters took part in nationwide protests across France to protest school conditions. On Wednesday, France suspended the use of stun grenades against the protesterss after a student lost a hand.Photo by Maya Vidon-White/UPI UPI

Oct. 7 (UPI) -- France suspended the use of stun grenades by police Wednesday at student protests sweeping the nation after a 15-year-old high school student lost a hand earlier this week.

Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said he asked for the halt to grenade use "in the context of the high school students' movement" after the incident, which took place Monday in Lens in northern France. Protesters and police have given different accounts of the incident, which Nuñez said needed to be clarified.

However, Nuñez also rejected accusations of police brutality and disproportionate force, calling the claims "excessive." Officers "are not intervening if the protests are peaceful," he said.

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Thousands of people have taken part in the protests across France this week, with at least 250,000 protesting Tuesday. Most remained peaceful, but some protests included violence from police and protesters and destruction of bus shelters and school buildings.

More than 6,600 protesters have been arrested, most of them minors. The justice ministry said more than 1,800 will be prosecuted, with the majority also under 18.

The protests continued Wednesday, with 400 to 500 schools fully or partially closed. Education Minister Édouard Geffray said 24 schools were so damaged that they will need to be closed for several weeks.

French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu was expected to address the country Wednesday night about the protests, in which students and others have called for better school and education conditions. High school students have complained of chronic teacher shortages, crowded classes and neglected buildings, and the protests have spread to their parents, university students and union leaders.

Nuñez said police watchdog IGPN has launched 18 investigations to determine if the police response was proportionate. One student also lost the use of an eye in a protest-related incident and another lost several teeth.

Police have used batons, tear gas and water cannons against the protesters as well as stun grenades, which spray small rubber pellets when they explode. Authorities have said the student who lost a hand picked up a grenade before it detonated, but other witnesses said he was hit directly by the grenade.