At least 72 people have been arrested in France’s seventh consecutive night of rioting, recording fewer incidents than in recent days, according to the Interior Ministry.
The number of Monday-Tuesday arrests reported by the government, without citing the seriousness of the incidents, is lower than the 157 the night before and the 400 arrests made Saturday-Sunday.
According to official data, during the riots that broke out last week, 159 cars were set on fire, 24 public buildings were damaged and four police stations damaged.
In recent days, 45,000 police officers and gendarmes have been deployed in different parts of the country, but mainly in the Paris region.
French President Emmanuel Macron today receives more than 200 mayors from places where disturbances have been registered at the Élysée Palace.
According to the French employers’ organization Medef, the disturbances have already caused damage estimated at around one billion euros: 200 commercial establishments were completely looted and 300 bank branches were destroyed, as well as 250 street kiosks.
Medef has not yet included a forecast of the possible impact of the incidents on France’s image in the field of tourism.
The disturbances began on June 27 when a 17-year-old boy was fatally shot by a police officer at a traffic checkpoint.
The young man, who did not have a driver’s license, was shot while trying to evade police checkpoints in Nanterre, on the outskirts of Paris.
On Monday, Emmanuel Macron visited several fire stations in Paris located in the areas closest to the places where riots take place, after admitting the possibility of “economically punishing” minors responsible for acts of violence.
The Prime Minister, Élisabeth Borne, today receives the leaders of the majority faction in parliament after meeting leaders of the opposition parties on Monday.
Source: DN
