On Sunday, France’s Interior Ministry said that at least 719 people were arrested overnight from Saturday to Sunday in France, being the fifth night of nationwide violence sparked by the killing of a teen by a police officer.
Related:
According to Gerald Darmanin, France’s Interior Minister, Saturday night was “calmer” than Friday night when 1,311 people were arrested and 1,350 vehicles burnt.
Darmanin also stated that, on Saturday night, around 45,000 French security forces were deployed across the country to face rioting and looting, with around 7,000 in Paris and its suburbs, Darmanin said on his social media account.
Official reports state that 45 police officers and gendarmes were injured, while 577 vehicles and 74 buildings were burnt and 871 fires were set on public roads.
#ViolencesUrbaines | 45 000 policiers et gendarmes et des milliers de sapeurs-pompiers étaient mobilisés pour protéger et garantir l’ordre républicain. Leur action résolue sous la coordination des préfets a permis de connaître une nuit plus calme.
Retrouvez le bilan provisoire⤵️ pic.twitter.com/hoiP3CnuBN
— Ministère de l’Intérieur et des Outre-mer (@Interieur_Gouv)
July 2, 2023
On Saturday night, protesters attacked the house of the mayor of Hay-les-Roses, a city in southern Paris suburbs, and injured the mayor’s wife and one of his children.
Paris police chief Laurent Nunez stated on the French news channel BFMTV that the protesters “crossed a line” by attacking a mayor’s home and that specialized police officers would carry out an investigation and do “everything, everything,” to catch the perpetrators.
Nunez also assured that the police would remain “very concentrated and determined” in the face of urban violence.
��Attackers in France tried to set fire to the home of a suburban Paris mayor’s home overnight and fired rockets at his fleeing wife and children
��Mayor Vincent Jeanbrun was not at home, but his wife suffered a broken leg and a child was also hurt#FranceRiots #FranceHasFallen pic.twitter.com/p4oVqSjSAb— Record GBA (@RecordGBA)
July 3, 2023
Last Tuesday violence erupted on the outskirts of Paris and spread to other parts of France after the death of 17-year-old Nahel, shot at point-blank range by an officer at a roadblock that was recorded on video.
During a march organized by Nahel’s mother, who carried a banner with the slogan “Police Kills,” thousands of people chanted phrases such as “Killer Police” and demanded the resignation of Gerald Darmanin.