The Secretary of State to the Minister of the Interior, Laurent Nunez, announced Tuesday a further strengthening of the security system in Dijon after four consecutive nights of violence related to a settling of accounts between residents of the Grésilles district and members of the Chechen community.
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Two mobile force units - nearly 150 police officers and gendarmes - must be deployed on the ground in the evening to ensure calm in the Grésilles district and downtown Dijon, where several demonstrations of force took place in recent days. Between 100 and 150 heavily armed Chechens, coming from various places in France and abroad, broke into the city of Burgundy during the weekend after the assault of one of their own, a young man of 16 years, according to police sources. They were trying to do battle with the alleged attackers.
Several residents were injured during this settlement. A first punitive expedition was carried out in a hookah bar. Exchanges of fire also took place in the Grésilles district. A manager of a pizzeria was seriously wounded by a gunshot, according to these police sources.
Monday evening, young residents responded with a show of force, by showing off weapons, according to videos that circulated on social networks. These events were followed by a confrontation with the police.
"No one can do justice for themselves"
" I want to send a very clear message to the thugs we have seen exhibiting weapons, to the individuals who have come here to commit violence in Dijon, our response will be extremely firm, " said Laurent Nunez, who is traveling to Dijon. “ No one can do justice for themselves. Monday evening, the interior ministry had already promised to send a unit and a half of mobile forces in reinforcement to restore calm. A judicial investigation was opened to determine the circumstances of these events.
" Exhibition of weapons of war, handguns, shotgun or submachine guns, (….) We no longer know if we are in the Wild West or in Badgad, in Orange Mechanics or in Mad Max, " said the president of the National Rally, Marine Le Pen, who criticizes a lack of intervention on the part of the police during these events. Marine Le Pen had moved to Dijon in the afternoon to hold a press conference there.
" Instead of persecuting and gassing medical staff, the police had better fight against arms trafficking as the situation in Dijon proves ," the leader of rebellious France, Jean-Luc, wrote on Twitter. Mélenchon, in reference to the tensions that marked the day of mobilization of nursing staff on Tuesday.
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