Last year 1,147 vehicles were torched in Paris and the French suburbs on new year’s eve, setting a new record.
Last night 8,000 law enforcement members were in the capital and 45,000 were deployed throughout the state. That is 10,000 more officers deployed this year.
Glass bottles were prohibited at the celebrations in central Paris and customers banned from filling portable containers at petrol pumps.
Cars torched on New Year's Eve in the region of Strasbourg are piled up at the police pound in Strasbourg, eastern France, on January 1, 2010. Credit: REUTERS/Jean-Marc Loos
Interior Minister Brice Hortefeux issued a statement that 405 arrests were made across the country and 11 police officers injured but “no major incidents” were reported.
Initial news reports indicated a calmer night, with fewer law enforcement injuries.
In a later news item, Reuters reported that 1137 cars were burned across France.
Reuters also reported that 549 people were detained this year, compared with 288 last year.
Links:
Balmer, Crispan (01 Jan 2010) Hundreds of cars torched in France at New Year. Reuters
Hortefeux, Brice (01 Jan 2010) New Year’s Eve sees fewer cars torched than in previous years. France24.com
Engber, Daniel (07 Nov 2005) So, You Wanna Torch a Peugeot? How French hooligans set cars on fire. “The Explainer” on Slate.com
Mike “FossilMedic” Ward
