719 detained, 45 policemen injured in nationwide unrest in France
This update follows a chaotic week in France after police shot 17-year-old Nahel M. in the chest at point-blank range on Tuesday.
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Police officers patrol in front of the Arc de Triomphe on the Champs Elysees in Paris, Saturday, July 1, 2023 (AP Photo/Christophe Ena)
The French Interior Ministry confirmed in a Twitter post on Sunday that 719 people are detained overnight and 45 police officers have been injured amid protests taking over the country.
#ViolencesUrbaines | 45 000 policiers et gendarmes et des milliers de sapeurs-pompiers étaient mobilisés pour protéger et garantir l’ordre républicain. Leur action résolue sous la coordination des préfets a permis de connaître une nuit plus calme.
— Ministère de l'Intérieur et des Outre-mer (@Interieur_Gouv) July 2, 2023
Retrouvez le bilan provisoire⤵️ pic.twitter.com/hoiP3CnuBN
The mayor of L'Hay-les-Roses commune in southern Paris, Vincent Jeanbrun, stated that his house was attacked by unidentified assailants who tried to ram a car into the house and set the building on fire, leaving his family injured.
"This night, … my house was attacked and my family was a victim of the assassination attempt," Jeanbrun tweeted.
Read next: Macron delays visit to Germany due to violent protests
Cette nuit, un cap a été franchi dans l'horreur et l'ignominie. Mon domicile a été attaqué et ma famille victime d'une tentative d’assassinat.
— Vincent Jeanbrun (@VincentJeanbrun) July 2, 2023
Ma détermination à protéger et servir la République est plus grande que jamais. Je ne reculerai pas. #PasPourRien #Emeutes ⤵️ pic.twitter.com/9HW1eAFCXN
This update follows a chaotic week in France after police shot 17-year-old Nahel M. in the chest at point-blank range on Tuesday in the western region of Paris after he was pulled over for breaking traffic rules in a yellow Mercedes. His mother called for a march on Thursday in tribute to her only child.
The protests also left public property damaged: 31 police departments, 16 offices of the municipal police, and 11 gendarmerie barracks.
Yesterday, French President Emmanuel Macron called for an early morning crisis meeting of his ministers and urged calm. He branded the overnight clashes "unjustifiable" and told the meeting the "last few hours have been marked by scenes of violence against police stations, but also schools and town halls... against institutions and the Republic."
Read more: Nahel's death exposes rooted division in France: Report
However, far-right leader Marine Le Pen claimed that the police officer involved was entitled to the "presumption of innocence."
