A 15-year-old student has had their hand blown off after picking up a stun grenade being used by police as mass school protests continue across France, local authorities said.
The incident comes as nearly 500 schools are expected to be completely or partially closed following student protests across the country over dilapidated schools and classrooms, overcrowding and teacher shortages preceding a nationwide day of demonstrations on Tuesday.
Less lethal weapons can still kill and maim.
Not even ‘can’ they’re more likely to.
Counterintuitively, ‘less lethal’ arms can be more lethal, since people fire them with impunity.
I heard once that boxing gloves made boxing more dangerous, because previously punching someone in the head would hurt your hands so you’d focus on their chest and belly. With gloves you were free to give them a brain injury instead.
That is true. Bare knuckle boxing is ironically safer for the athletes in the long term and avoids CTE/TBI related complications.
Boxing gloves became popular because it protected the hands from getting cut up when striking the skull, allowing prizefighters to have more bouts without having to wait for their hands to heal between each.
It’s a problem in football (US) as well. The pads and helmets mean they can hit head-to-head without risking a fracture. Instead, they get concussions and CTE.