The nights of December 26, 27 and 28 were particularly marked by scenes of violence in the districts of Strasbourg. In total, 41 vehicles were set on firemainly in the areas of Cronenbourg, Meinau and Port du Rhin. The prefecture had to deploy the CRS 8, a unit specialized in the management of urban violenceto support the police forces. These car fires, although common on New Year’s Eve, gained momentum well before the festivities, particularly worrying local authorities.
Sylvain André, spokesperson for the Alliance Police union, expressed his concerns about this unprecedented situation: “ Before New Year’s Eve, it’s worrying. We have never seen this level of violence at this time of year “. Indeed, this phenomenon is new, and the police officers fear an escalation of these unrest as December 31 approaches.
Violence and ambushes targeting relief in Strasbourg
Beyond the fires, another alarming phenomenon has been observed: mortar fire aimed directly at police officers and firefighters. The latter are systematically targeted when they intervene to put out vehicle fires. Firefighters only intervene under police protection to avoid finding themselves in ambushes.
According to information from France bluethe Alliance Police union also denounced the circulation of fireworks mortars outside the legal frameworkparticularly via platforms like Snapchat, thus fueling urban violence. “ Everything is bought secretly, even on the other side of the German border », deplores Sylvain André, emphasizing the difficulty of the authorities in curbing this phenomenon.
Faced with these events, police unions are demanding firm and rapid responses from the justice system to prevent this violence from being repeated during the New Year.
Also read: Grenoble: an ambush on the police causes a fire in an apartment
Belgium
