After three nights of riots in dozens of French municipalities, the Ministry of the Interior sent instructions to the prefects.
The cycle of violence, looting and destruction does not yet seem to be halted in the country, after three nights of riots following the death of Nahel, killed on Tuesday by a police officer in Nanterre (Hauts-de-Seine). Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne announced on Friday June 30 that armored vehicles from the gendarmerie will be deployed throughout the country. Centaur armored vehicles have arrived in the Paris region, franceinfo learned from a source familiar with the matter. Other light armored vehicles are in Nantes, Toulouse, Metz, Lyon and Mons-en-Barœul (Hauts-de-France). The Minister of the Interior, Gérald Darmanin, for his part announced on Friday evening on TF1 that 45,000 police and gendarmes will be “in the field” to contain the riots, against 40,000 the day before.
>> Violence after the death of Nahel: follow the latest information live
Demonstrations banned in Marseille, Lyon, Bordeaux…
The prefectures of several major cities on Friday banned all demonstrations in city centers. These bans are in force in Marseille, Lyon, Lille, Bordeaux, Montpellier, Toulouse, Strasbourg, Grenoble, Annecy… The prefectures recall that these demonstrations have not been declared. Dcalls for rallies had been launched in 18 major cities “against racism, crimes and police violence”. They had been widely relayed on social networks for two days.
Rallies, despite these bans, take place at Place de la Concorde, in Paris, but also in Rouen, Chambéry and in several other cities. Clashes notably opposed demonstrators and the police in front of the town hall in Lyon, at the start of a rally against police violence banned by the Rhône prefecture.
Buses and trams stopped at 9 p.m. throughout the territory
The Ministry of the Interior ordered the prefects to interrupt the circulation of buses and trams throughout the territory from 9 p.m., in order to limit the spread of the riots which also target transport infrastructure. In Ile-de-France, even before this announcement, Ile-de-France Mobilités (IDFM) had announced the end of bus and tram services at 9 p.m. every evening “until further notice”, as was already the case on Thursday. The metro will close at the same times as on weekdays (around 1 a.m.) on Friday and Saturday, an hour earlier than usual.
Elsewhere in Ile-de-France, 18 buses were burned in Provins (Seine-et-Marne) and, in total, Ile-de-France Mobilités counted around thirty vehicles destroyed. Decisions to close transport networks were taken all over France throughout the day. In Marseille, the entire network was shut down from 7 p.m., including the metro. From the middle of the afternoon, Bordeaux, Grenoble or Pau announced the end of the bus and tram service for 9 p.m. In Saint Etienne, “because of the multiple incivilities that occurred last night”, the closure was announced for 8 p.m. In Metz, it was even 7:30 p.m.
Major events canceled
“Faced with these events, the decision was made to cancel several festive events and gatherings in the departments which are the most sensitive”, Emmanuel Macron said on Friday. The two concerts of Mylène Farmer, scheduled for Friday and Saturday evening at the Stade de France, have notably been canceled by the authorities. The prefecture of Seine-Saint-Denis announced this cancellation, at the request of the elected officials of the department, a few hours before the first show.
The Fnac Live festival, which largely takes place on the forecourt of Paris City Hall, has immediately announced the cancellation of his last evening of concertsFriday night, “given the circumstances”. The town hall of Paris had however called a little earlier, in a press release, to the “maintenance of all activities in the Parisian public space, markets, school parties, cultural and sporting events, by asking the organizers for increased vigilance”. More generally, many events have been canceled across the country.
More than 900 arrests in France
“We arrested 917 rioters yesterday, it’s huge, declared on TF1 the Minister of the Interior, specifying that a third of them were minors. Their average age is 17, and we arrested some who were 13,” detailed Gérald Darmanin, who mentions “a few hundred delinquents who must be arrested”.
The sale and transport of mortars, gasoline, prohibited acids
The Ministry of the Interior has asked the prefects to systematically issue orders prohibiting the sale and transport of mortars, cans of gasoline, acids, flammable and chemical products. The government is also planning a “reinforced customs action” to control the transport of prohibited products from neighboring countries.
A circular for immediate appearances
The Minister of Justice, Eric Dupond-Moretti, will for his part take a “specific criminal circular” who predict “the strengthening of immediate appearances” for those referred in connection with the riots, a “ban on appearing for adults and a ban on night outing for minors”. Finally there will be a “reminder of the civil liability of parents and sanctions for parents who commit serious breaches of their legal obligations”.