Until Monday, about 700 people involved in riots in several French cities had appeared before a magistrate.
The judicial proceedings for the riots in France since a week have already resulted in the arrest of 350 people, and hundreds of others are expected to appear in court in the coming days, revealed the French Prime Minister, Élisabeth Borne.
Until Monday, around 700 people involved in the riots in several French cities had appeared before a magistrate, and another 800 are awaiting a hearing, Borne said.
Borne, who attended a session with the Government in the National Assembly, added that the head of Justice, Éric Dupond-Moretti, issued a circular to ask for “a quick, firm and systematic response for all authors” of altercations.
This circular also includes a directive to demand criminal sanctions for those responsible for the education of minors who participate in the disturbances registered since June 27, when a 17-year-old teenager died after being shot by a policeman in Nanterre when he escaped control with a car. driving without documentation.
Since then, around 3,500 people have been arrested, most of them very young, as the average age is 17 years old: around a third are minors, who cannot be tried or sent to prison.
The prime minister insisted on the message that “this violence has nothing to do with revolt in sensitive neighbourhoods”, as she has seen in the visits she has made and what she has seen from the population is “incomprehension” and “anger”.
“This violence is inexcusable and does not represent the youth of our country”, underlined Borne, who accused the deputies of the Insubmissive France party (LFI), in particular its leader, Jean-Luc Mélenchon, for not wanting to adhere to the appeals for calm and for his constant criticism of police action.
“Culpants are sought in all republican institutions, but not among the perpetrators of violence”, countered Borne to the president of the LFI group in the National Assembly, Mathilde Panot, whom she censured for the option of “verbal brutality” and “constant excuse of violence”.
At the same time, President Emmanuel Macron met in Paris 300 mayors from areas affected by the riots, to whom he said that his “absolute priority” was to restore order in a lasting way, although he was “very prudent” if that happens in the coming days and in the next few days. coming weeks.
The number of those arrested on the night of Monday to Tuesday, 72, is clearly lower than the 157 the night before and the 400 two days ago. In this context, the circulation of buses and trams, which was restricted to avoid night attacks, will last until 22:00 (21:00 in Lisbon).
Macron promised municipalities an urgent law to speed up the reconstruction of everything that was destroyed last week, including several hundred public buildings, such as municipal offices, schools, libraries or police stations.
Hundreds of businesses were also looted and several thousand vehicles were set on fire. The employers’ association Medef calculates that the economic damage already exceeds one billion euros, without taking into account the possible impact on France’s image, with the effect it could have on tourism in the first place.
In this regard, the Minister of Economy, Bruno Le Maire, said that a staggering of the payment of social or tax contributions by the affected companies will be analyzed or even their cancellation, a decision that will be taken “on a case-by-case basis”.
“We will do everything necessary for economic activity to resume as soon as possible,” said Le Maire on a visit to the city of Arpajon, in the Paris region.
The minister announced that the insurers agreed to increase the deadline for submitting a claim declaration from five to thirty days and prompt reimbursement.
