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Vehicles set on fire by rioters in Paris (archive image)
Photo: STEPHANE MAHE / REUTERS
Rioters set hundreds of cars on fire on New Year's Eve in France.
Compared to previous years, however, the violence around the turn of the year decreased - also against security forces, said France's Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin on Saturday.
874 cars were burned out.
That was almost 450 less than at the turn of the year 2019/2020.
441 people were provisionally arrested.
Cars also burned again in Strasbourg, where there were particularly violent riots on New Year's Eve two years ago.
At least two police officers were slightly injured when attackers shot them with fireworks.
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According to an analysis by the French polling institute IFOP, burning vehicles (»voiture brûlées«) have been an - ugly - part of New Year's Eve culture in France since the early 1990s.
According to this, people set cars on fire, especially in poorer parts of the city.
The reasons are varied: sometimes it's about personal accounts, sometimes about expressing displeasure with the political leadership, sometimes about insurance fraud.
130,000 security guards on duty
For example, at the turn of the year 2007/2008 after President Nicolas Sarkozy took office, there were a particularly large number of vehicle fires.
Sarkozy said in 2005 that he wanted to clean the poorer districts "with the Kärcher".
But even at the height of the "yellow vests" protests during President Emmanuel Macron's term in office, the number of burned-out cars was exceptionally high.
Interior Minister Darmanin announced that more than 130,000 police officers, gendarmes and security forces were on duty at the turn of the year.
Among other things, they monitored compliance with the corona rules, which were imposed due to the rapidly increasing number of infections and the spread of the omicron variant of the virus.
In Paris and in large parts of the country, alcohol was banned on the streets.
The sale of fireworks was banned almost nationwide before New Year's Eve.
In the capital and many departments bars and restaurants had to close at 2 a.m. on January 1st.
In many cities in France, including Paris, people have to wear masks all the time again outside.
him / dpa
