There were 90,000 police officers and gendarmes mobilized last night for New Year's Eve. Despite considerable staff numbers to ensure the security of this particular evening, several incidents of violence were reported. A 2-year-old child was notably injured in the eye and ear by a fireworks mortar shot which landed in his stroller in Lyon, on Place Bellecour.
Mortar fire against law enforcement in Strasbourg
Strasbourg (Bas-Rhin) was one of the cities particularly monitored last night, after several days of clashes. CRS 8, a company specializing in the fight against urban violence, had been deployed. Due to its proximity to Germany, which authorizes the sale of firecrackers, rockets and mortars for three days, the city attracted all the attention.
In the Alsatian capital, 44 people were arrested last night, after fireworks were fired, as well as mortars and projectiles being fired at the police, according to our information. Around sixty vehicles were also set on fire and a surveillance camera was destroyed in the Neuhof district of Strasbourg. “The device made it possible to contain the desire to fight among some,” specifies a police source, who reports a police officer who was slightly injured.
In Mulhouse, in Haut-Rhin, around twenty fires in cars, trash cans, as well as a business, were started. The police were targeted by several shots of “various and varied projectiles”, according to a police source. A gendarme was injured in the thigh by mortar fire.
A child injured by a mortar shot in Lyon
In Lyon (Rhône), shortly after midnight on Place Bellecour, a fireworks mortar shot injured a 2-year-old child in a stroller. The latter was hit in the eye and ear. Supported by emergency services, his vital prognosis is not in jeopardy, but he presents a risk of permanent disability, underlines a police source. The origin of the shots remains to be determined, according to our information. Video surveillance of the area will be studied.
In Saint-Étienne (Loire), fights broke out between several individuals. Several of them suffered head injuries. Around thirty vehicles were also set on fire, without causing any injuries, according to our information.
In Montluçon, in Allier, the night was restless. The police were targeted by several mortar shots and two vehicles were set on fire. Several barriers were installed on the roads by individuals and manhole covers were removed. The police used grenades and LBDs, specifies a source.
A “particularly calm” night in Marseille
In Marseille (Bouches-du-Rhône), the night was “particularly calm”, underline the police. However, a man was injured by three stab wounds leaving a nightclub in the Marseille capital, after a showcase by rapper Kaaris. His vital prognosis is in jeopardy.
In the Alpes-Maritimes, particularly in Nice, the police made around twenty arrests. Nine individuals were taken into custody. Around twenty vehicles were set on fire, including two police cars, without causing any injuries.
In La Seyne-sur-Mer, in the Var, three minors were arrested late in the afternoon for trash fires. Placed in police custody, they indicated that they had bought firecrackers in a store. During the search of this premises, 2,896 pyrotechnic devices were discovered by investigators. The manager of the business and her employee were immediately arrested and placed in police custody.
In Bègles, near Bordeaux (Gironde), a little after midnight, several individuals were reported breaking windows of a tram station and a bakery. On site, two minors, aged 15 and 17, were arrested and taken into police custody. One of them is already known to the police. In Rennes (Ille-et-Vilaine), eight cars were set on fire, including five by propagation, according to a police source, who refers to a “calm night”.
Restless night in Yvelines
In Yvelines, the night was restless for the police. 30 vehicles were set on fire and five trash fires started. In Mantes-la-Jolie, the police came under mortar fire from a group of around ten individuals. Two of them were arrested and taken into police custody. In Houilles, it was the police station which was targeted in the early evening by mortar fire. No arrests have taken place at this stage. In the Carrières and Poissy sector, police officers were targeted by projectiles, without being hit, shortly before midnight.
In the Essonne department, around twenty vehicles and eight trash cans burned. In Seine-et-Marne, in Chelles, a man was arrested in possession of 40 mortars in his vehicle during a road check. The driver, aged 22 and known to the police, was arrested and taken into police custody. In Argenteuil, in Val-d'Oise, 17 vehicles were set on fire and two people were arrested, according to our information.
Fireworks seized in Seine-Saint-Denis
In Seine-Saint-Denis, the results show 45 arrests, 32 trash fires, 29 projectile throws and 97 mortar shots. During the night, numerous fireworks devices were seized, particularly during checks of common areas of buildings. At the start of the evening, four people were arrested in Blanc-Mesnil for selling fireworks on the street. They were found in possession of four mortars, according to our information. In Aulnay-sous-Bois, a few hours later, 200 g of cannabis resin, three mortars as well as two dummy weapons such as BB guns were discovered in the underground parking lot of a building. In Créteil, the police also discovered 19 mortars in common areas.
In Montreuil, six individuals targeted police officers with mortar fire, without causing any injuries. The police used a grenade to disperse the group. Only one of them was arrested and taken into custody. In Saint-Denis, the police arrested a man who was handling mortars. But during the operation, they were attacked by around ten individuals who threw projectiles at them. Two people were arrested. In Bagnolet, five people were arrested and taken into custody after the discovery of two mortars, five bottles of gasoline, two hammers, a paving stone and gloves in a backpack placed on the ground.
In the 15th arrondissement of Paris, after hearing detonations near the Bir-Hakeim bridge, the police discovered five kilograms of pyrotechnic devices (mortars, rockets) in the trunk of a car. Three individuals, who were nearby, were arrested and taken into custody.
