Halloween: Darmanin calls for “high vigilance” in the face of urban violence during the evening

2023-10-31 09:03:18

A Halloween party under close surveillance. Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin asked for “high vigilance” from prefects in the “prevention of urban violence” which could take place on Tuesday on the occasion of Halloween, in a note consulted Monday by AFP.

During previous Halloween parties, “incidents” have already taken place, including “vehicles set on fire and attacks on law enforcement and firefighters,” the minister wrote in this note dated October 27. “Moreover, the terrorist threat facing France is currently at its highest level due to recent events in the territory and taking into account the international context,” he adds.

He asks prefects to “maintain a high level of vigilance” and “to anticipate and assess as best as possible the risks likely to arise (…) using in particular close monitoring of social networks”.

“Special vigilance” in public transport

The minister asks them in particular to pay “particular vigilance to the security of public transport” and to take “the necessary measures” in administrative policing, in particular for “fuels and explosive materials”.

The Interior Minister issued a similar telegram on Halloween last year. Every Halloween night, law enforcement and firefighters prepare for damage, even violence. Last year, 86 people were arrested on the night of November 31 to 1, according to LCI.