French police watchdog opens inquiry after student injured during Tours school blockade

Investigation opened after student injured in Tours

France's National Police General Inspectorate (IGPN) opened an inquiry on 30 September 2026 after a high school student sustained head injuries during a protest blockade in Tours. The incident took place on Wednesday morning outside Lycée Balzac in the city centre, where students had gathered to obstruct entrance to the building. Emergency services attended to the wounded teenager directly at the scene before transferring him to the emergency department at CHU de Tours. Public prosecutor Catherine Sorita-Minard announced the referral to the police watchdog on social media platform X, stating that the origin of the head injury remains undetermined at this stage. Hospital medical staff scheduled a CT scan and a forensic clinical examination on Wednesday afternoon to document the extent of the trauma.

Analysis of body cameras and witness accounts

The Indre-et-Loire prefecture and the national police opened verification procedures to determine whether the injury resulted from a defence ball launcher (LBD) fired by law enforcement. Several video recordings shared across social media platforms showed the young man seated on the ground with blood visible around his eye and eyebrow in the middle of a crowd. Prefectural authorities confirmed that police officers deployed to the blockade had their body cameras turned on throughout the morning operation, and technicians will analyze the footage during the day. Investigators will combine the video evidence with formal statements from the police officers involved and interviews with eyewitnesses present outside the school gates. Local radio reporters on the scene noted witness accounts alleging that a projectile fired by police struck the student in the face.

Clashes and school evacuations across the city

The medical intervention occurred while police officers and firefighters responded to multiple fires lit near secondary school grounds. Security units faced thrown projectiles while attempting to extinguish the flames and clear access points around school buildings. Near Lycée Paul-Louis-Courier, a burning waste container triggered a flaming gas leak, prompting emergency services to evacuate the educational facility. Police and administrative officials reported that protest actions disrupted school operations across several districts in the city throughout the morning.

Pierre-Ange Savelli, chief of staff to the prefect of Indre-et-Loire, commented on the scale of the confrontations between demonstrators and security forces.

The violence is of a fairly high intensity in Tours.

Judicial follow-up and prior arrests

The confrontations on Wednesday followed unrest that began outside local high schools on 29 September 2026, when police detained six individuals for throwing projectiles at security forces. The public prosecutor stated that two 16-year-old defendants received summonses to appear before a juvenile judge alongside their parents, with a formal hearing scheduled for 20 November 2026. Prefectural authorities confirmed that officers made further arrests on Wednesday as confrontations continued at a similar intensity. The juvenile court in Tours will hear the cases regarding the violent projectile throwing against security units. The IGPN inquiry will continue reviewing medical evidence, camera records, and operational conduct to determine the exact circumstances of the student's injury.