The Saugeraies district, in Mâcon, was the scene of urban violence this weekend. What is the extent of the damage? Who should be held responsible for this? What is the reaction of the authorities? We will take stock of the situation this Monday.
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Urban violence broke out in the Saugeraies district early this Sunday, January 19. Public buildings and vehicles were set on fire, amid drug trafficking, according to authorities. An arrest took place, and the judicial police are leading the investigation. Police reinforcements were also deployed. Update on what we know.
Mortar fire and fires at public buildings in the middle of the night
The events took place on the night of Saturday January 18 to Sunday January 19, around midnight, in the Saugeraies district, north of Mâcon. Three public buildings were set on fire: a municipal after-school homework help area but also a youth center. Residents report having witnessed fireworks being fired by young individuals. In addition, trash cans and vehicles were burned, including three police cars.
Vehicles were burned during this episode of urban violence.
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© Alexandre Baudrand
Calm returned this Sunday but slight damage was noted by the authorities in other districts of Mâcon during the night from Sunday to Monday: an excavator was set on fire in Chanaye, as well as a barricade on Rue des Blanchettes.
-Drug traffickers responsible for the violence?
Two arrests took place. A 19-year-old boy was arrested in flagrante delicto and taken into police custody. The Mâcon public prosecutor's office has opened an investigation for “damage and destruction of property by fire in an organized gang, association of criminals with a view to committing this crime, violence against persons holding public authority with weapons and participation in an armed gathering“. The departmental judicial police service of Saône-et-Loire is carrying out the investigations.
The mayor of Mâcon Jean-Patrick Courtois attributes this violence to drug traffickers
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© Guillaume Ploye
The mayor of Mâcon and the prefect of Saône-et-Loire attribute the violence to drug traffickers who allegedly acted to mark their territory and fight against the action of the police. “They want premises to be quiet, to do their business quietly, sheltered. The traffickers say that until they are satisfied, they will set the neighborhood ablaze“, says Jean-Patrick Courtois, the city's elected LR.
► ALSO READ: Night of violence in Mâcon: “a phenomenon of urban guerrilla warfare” caused by drug trafficking, according to the mayor
Police officers and gendarmes as reinforcements
An operational center was activated a few hours by the prefecture shortly after the violence this Sunday morning. An order prohibiting the possession and transport of weapons is in force until Tuesday evening, in Mâcon, Sancé and Charnay.
Urban violence broke out in the Saugeraies district of Mâcon (Saône-et-Loire) on the night of January 18 to 19, 2025.
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© FRED TANNEAU / AFP
Half a company of CRS was deployed as reinforcement this Sunday evening. It is a mobile unit made up of 50 police officers. The Gendarmerie Surveillance and Intervention Platoon and additional gendarmes were also mobilized. The security system is likely to evolve during the day of this Monday, according to the prefecture, which calls for vigilance.
