During New Year celebrations in France, approximately 1,000 vehicles were set afire
Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau reported that while nearly 1,000 vehicles were torched, hundreds of thousands of individuals across France ushered in the New Year in a predominantly peaceful manner.
In an announcement made late Wednesday, Retailleau reported that 984 vehicles were set ablaze nationwide. Authorities have arrested approximately 420 individuals, with 310 of them placed in police custody, as per information from Agence France-Presse (AFP).
The minister has denounced the statistics as intolerable, attributing the violence to a culture of brutality perpetuated by individuals he described as ‘cowards and thugs’. These individuals reportedly target the property of ordinary French citizens, many of whom lack the financial means to secure their vehicles in private car parks.
According to early reports, the event, anticipated to draw approximately one million attendees similar to the previous year, proceeded largely without incident.
Approximately 10,000 police officers were stationed across the French capital, where enhanced security measures were implemented for celebrations held on the primary thoroughfare, which had been temporarily closed to vehicular traffic.
