At least 719 people were arrested overnight from Saturday to Sunday in France, the fifth night of nationwide violence sparked by the killing of a teen by a police officer, France’s Interior Ministry said on Sunday.
According to the ministry, 45 police officers and gendarmes were injured, while 577 vehicles and 74 buildings were burnt.
French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said that Saturday night was “calmer” than Friday night when 1,311 people were arrested and 1,350 vehicles burnt.
On Saturday night, around 45,000 French security forces were deployed across the country to face rioting and looting, with about 7,000 alone in Paris and its suburbs, Darmanin said on his social media account.
Rioters also attacked on Saturday night the house of the mayor of Hay-les-Roses, a city in southern Paris suburbs, injuring the mayor’s wife and one of his children.
A library attacked by protesters is seen in Aubervilliers, north of Paris, France, June 30, 2023. (Xinhua/Gao Jing)
Speaking to the French news channel BFMTV on Sunday afternoon, Paris police chief Laurent Nunez said that the rioters “crossed a line” by attacking a mayor’s home, and specialized police officers would carry out an investigation and do “everything, everything,” to catch the perpetrators.
Nunez assured that the police would remain “very concentrated and determined” in the face of urban violence, with again 7,000 police officers to be deployed in the greater Paris region on Sunday night.
French President Emmanuel Macron will hold a debriefing at 7:30 p.m. local time on Sunday with Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne, Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin, and Justice Minister Eric Dupond-Moretti.
On Tuesday last week, a French police officer opened fire and killed the 17-year-old teen while the latter refused to comply to pull over his car.
The police officer who fired his gun later told investigators that he had acted for fear of the car causing a fatal accident.
Last Tuesday’s shooting triggered violent protests and riots throughout France, which have led to the police arresting thousands of people in major French cities.