About 24 hours after the funeral of the Algerian who ignited the uprising of anger, the French Ministry of the Interior announced today (Sunday) that the intensity of the riots across France had subsided last night, while tens of thousands of police officers were deployed in cities across the country. The ministry said it arrested 719 people last night, down from 1,311 the night before and 875 on Thursday night.
On her Twitter account, she reported the mobilization of 45,000 police and thousands of firefighters to enforce order.
For his part, the governor in charge of the Paris police considered that imposing a state of emergency or a curfew are not necessary at this stage, despite the events crossing a dangerous threshold.
It is scheduled that French President Emmanuel Macron will hold a meeting of the crisis cell in the Elysee this evening, where the necessary measures that the government will follow to solve the crisis will be discussed.
The hottest region last night was Marseille, where police fired tear gas to disperse rioters and clashed with young men around the city center until late at night. And the police intensified their security presence on the Champs-Elysées in Paris, after an invitation on social networking sites to gather there. The street, usually bustling with tourists, was filled with security forces conducting searches. Shop fronts were covered with boards to prevent possible damage or looting.
Eyewitnesses spoke of separate clashes in central Paris, while the city police announced that 6 government buildings were damaged, 5 of their men were injured in clashes last night, and about 315 were arrested in the city.
In the greater Paris region, the home of the mayor of Lai-les-Rose was ransacked, and his wife and children were targeted. The Public Prosecutor said that an investigation had been opened for attempted murder.
Unrest erupted in the Mediterranean city of Nice and in the eastern city of Strasbourg. President Emmanuel Macron postponed a planned state visit to Germany today to address the worst crisis facing his rule since the “yellow vest” protests that paralyzed France in late 2018.
And the government sent about 45,000 police officers to the streets in an attempt to control possible unrest following the funeral of Nael, a 17-year-old of Algerian and Moroccan origin, who was shot dead by a policeman when police stopped his car for search on Tuesday in the suburb of Nanterre. Rioters set cars and public transport on fire and looted shops, and also targeted town halls, police stations, schools and buildings.
