874 vehicles set on fire and 441 people arrested during the night of December 31

The New Year’s Eve saw a decrease in violence, the number of burnt cars and attacks by the police compared to 2019, according to a report drawn up on Saturday January 1 by the Ministry of the Interior. A total of 441 people were arrested last night, including 381 taken into custody, and 874 cars were set on fire.

“The night of New Year’s Eve saw a drop in violence thanks to the police force”, welcomed the Minister of the Interior, Gerald Darmanin, on Twitter. If the number of burnt vehicles has indeed decreased (1,316 during the night of December 31, 2019 to January 1, 2020), the number of people arrested and placed in police custody has increased slightly (376, including 314 in police custody, on New Years Eve celebrating the transition to 2020).

The New Year’s Eve of December 31, 2020 was also not taken into account to compare these figures because of the curfew put in place that evening.

The night of New Year’s Eve saw a decrease in violence thanks to the device of the police. Thank you to the nearly 130,000 police, gendarmes and civil security personnel who helped and ensured the safety of the French last night. pic.twitter.com/DTEUE3dyGf

– Gerald DARMANIN (@GDarmanin) January 1, 2022

Thirty people were arrested in the Bas-Rhin, including 25 for urban violence, the prefecture said. The arrests, mainly carried out in the agglomeration of Strabourg where this violence recurs almost every year on New Year’s Eve, relate to facts “vehicle fires”, of “trash cans” and “degradations”, depending on the prefecture.

Six minors under 16 were also fined for not having respected the curfew established on New Years Eve by a prefectural decree in Strasbourg and six neighboring municipalities, according to the prefecture. Across the department, four members of the security forces were “slightly injured” (tinnitus or “slight burns” after fireworks), we added.