New Year’s Eve 2025 took place under high surveillance, with 100,000 police and gendarmes mobilized across France. Despite this massive deployment, several notable incidents tarnished the celebrations.
In Paris and the inner suburbs, an exceptional system brought together 10,000 law enforcement officers. Despite this vigilance, 136 people were arrested for various reasons, while two police vehicles were set on fire. No injuries were reported among law enforcement officers in the capital. In Île-de-France, the departments of Yvelines, Essonne and Seine-Saint-Denis were particularly affected, with at least 80 vehicles burned and a police officer injured. Projectile throwing, trash fires and the use of weapons were also reported, reports BFMTV.
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However, the most serious urban violence has been observed elsewhere. In Strasbourg, a 15-year-old teenager tragically lost his life after being hit by a fleeing vehicle. The city, plagued by tensions in recent days, also recorded 56 vehicles burned and 29 people in police custody, including 9 minors. In Lyon, Place Bellecour, a 2-year-old child was injured in the eye by a fireworks mortar shot. Hospitalized for an eye and ear injury, his vital prognosis is not in jeopardy but emergency services feared “a risk of permanent disability” at the time of taking charge.
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Violent incidents in several regions
In the south of France, in Cannes, a man was stabbed by another individual, whose motivations remain unknown. The attacker was arrested. In Avignon, a 28-year-old man died after falling from a scooter while trying to flee a police check. The individual was driving without a license and was wanted for violence. A police source told Provence that the individual was traveling at high speed when he was chased. In Nice, firework mortars targeted the police, causing fires.
-In the Grenoble metropolitan area, firework mortars targeted the police in sensitive neighborhoods, notably in Mistral and Échirolles, reports The Dauphiné Libéré. Around twenty interventions were necessary to control the trash can and vehicle fires. In Sarrebourg, in Moselle, a school was ravaged by an arson, mobilizing firefighters to come in as reinforcements.
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In Saint-Étienne, several vehicles were set on fire and fireworks were reported. In Nantes, Molotov cocktails were discovered in bushes by the police, testifying to worrying preparations. Finally, in Valenciennes, three people were arrested for urban rodeos and the use of mortars.
