Violence in France Subsides as Solidarity Rises and Damages Soar

Violence in France Subsides to Some Extent

In the night, the violent protests in France continued to subside, following the declaration of solidarity by hundreds of individuals with the mayor of a Parisian suburb whose family had been attacked.

After several days of riots in France, the situation further calmed down during the night. According to authorities, the number of arrests in the greater Paris area decreased once again, and no major incidents were reported.

President Emmanuel Macron, accompanied by Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin, visited a police barracks in the 17th arrondissement in the evening and held discussions at the Paris police headquarters shortly after midnight, as announced by the Élysée Palace. In the Île-de-France region, 17 people were arrested by 11:30 p.m., compared to 40 the previous evening and 400 on the Thursday of the previous week.

The massive presence of 45,000 security forces was maintained. This was ordered by the President to "support the return to peace and order," according to Macron's surroundings. On Tuesday, the President was scheduled to meet with mayors from 220 cities across the country that had been affected by the violence.

Solidarity with Attacked Mayor

In the Parisian suburb of L'Haÿ-les-Roses, hundreds of people gathered on Monday to show their support for Mayor Vincent Jeanbrun, whose family was attacked by rioters.

"We have seen the true faces of the troublemakers, the attackers," said Jeanbrun. The riots that have engulfed the country since the 17-year-old Nahel was shot during a police check have targeted France and democracy itself.

Jeanbrun's house was rammed by a vehicle early Sunday morning, which the rioters set on fire. His wife and one of his young children were injured. The authorities announced investigations for attempted murder.

99 Town Halls Attacked

On Monday, many French citizens expressed their support for local and regional governments. In an emotional speech, Jeanbrun called on the "silent majority" to raise their voice and say "stop." "Enough is enough!" The crowd responded, "Enough!"

In other violence-affected areas, crowds gathered in front of town halls on Monday to show their solidarity with municipal administrations. According to the Ministry of the Interior, a total of 99 town halls were attacked.

Over One Billion Euros in Damages

The damages caused by the unrest in France are estimated to exceed one billion euros, according to the employers' association. "It is still too early to give an exact figure, but we are over one billion euros, without taking into account the damages to tourism," said Geoffroy Roux de Bézieux, the head of the French employers' association, Medef, to "Le Parisien."

Over 200 shops were completely looted, 300 bank branches destroyed, and 250 tobacco shops affected. The rioters resorted to absolute violence, even stealing cash registers before setting fires.