2023-07-03 17:48:41
French media have warned that the damage from riots over the killing of Nahel M by a French police officer could exceed that of the 2005 riots, which were sparked by the deaths of two teenagers in an electrical substation who had been trying to escape from police officers.
So far, in the six nights of riots since Nahel’s death, thousands of trash bins, cars, and buildings have been set ablaze across France as people take to the streets, primarily in France’s poorer and underserved neighbourhoods.
France’s ministry of interior has released the latest statistics showing how the level of damage incurred as a result of several nights of consecutive rioting.
45,000
Tens of thousands of police officers have been mobilised during each night of rioting. On Thursday night, 40,000 police and gendarmes were mobilised, and this was raised to 45,000 during the weekend nights.
10,000
Approximately 10,000 trash bins have been set on fire across the country in almost one week of rioting.
5,000
Cars, particularly those parked on the street, are often targeted during protests and mobilisations in France – like the Yellow Vest movement.
As of Sunday, 5,000 cars had been burned since the start of rioting in France. In comparison, over the course of three weeks worth of rioting in 2005, France saw approximately 10,000 cars burned.
3,164
Thousands of arrests have been made across the country, with a large part concentrated in the Paris suburbs. Almost half of the arrests – about 1,300 – occurred on Friday, the fourth night of rioting, according to France’s ministry of interior.
1,000
At least 1,000 buildings have been burned or looted – from public buildings such as town halls and schools, to shops, banks and tobaccos.
Police officers stand guard in front of a damaged fast food restaurant at the shopping mall Rosny 2 in Rosny-sous-Bois, in the eastern suburbs of Paris, on June 30, 2023 (Photo by Bertrand GUAY / AFP)
Buildings such as mairies and police stations – which are seen as ‘symbols of the state’ have been targeted by arsonists and vandals.
On Friday, in Montargis, located in the Loiret département in central France, three buildings were torched, including the Mirabeau pharmacy which collapsed due to the fire. As of Monday, approximately 250 police stations had also been targeted.
In addition to arson attacks, many shops have been targeted by looters who have smashed windows, trashed the interiors and stolen goods.
700
France’s ministry of interior reported that about 700 members of the security forces had been injured since the start of rioting, although no serious injuries have been reported.
It is not clear how many members of the public have been injured. In French Guiana, a man was killed by a stray bullet, which was reportedly fired by protesters, according to local authorities. An investigation has been opened.
220
French President Emmanuel Macron announced that he would meet with 220 mayors of towns affected by violence and rioting on Monday.
The planned meeting follows an attack on the home of Mayor Vincent Jeanbrun of the town L’Haÿ-les-Roses, a southern suburb of Paris. The mayor himself had been staying in the town hall when rioters rammed a car into his house and set it on fire. Jeanbrun’s wife and two children were able to escape through the garden.
Mayors across France have also called on people to gather at their local city hall (town hall) at 12 noon on Monday to express their opposition to the days of riots, violence and looting that have gripped France.
30
As of Friday, 30 buses in the greater Paris Île-de-France region had been burned or damaged. 12 of those buses were set on fire with Molotov cocktails on Thursday night at a bus depot in Aubervilliers, north of Paris. Another 14 buses were burned south-east of Paris, at a depot in Provins.
The burnt down ratp bus depot in Aubervilliers pic.twitter.com/RJCrBf0DWO
— Sebastian Compagnon (@SebCompagnon) June 30, 2023
A tram was also set alight, in eastern Lyon, amid rioting on Thursday night.
As a result, buses and trams across the country have stopped running after 9pm for an indefinite period of time. Over the weekend, in Marseille, buses stopped running at 7pm.
Over €100 million
Alain Di Crescenzo, the president of France’s Chamber of Commerce and Industry told France Radio that the damages to infrastructure in Marseille alone could be over €100 million, as of Saturday morning.
In comparison, the 2005 riots saw €204 million worth of damage over three weeks.
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