Nearly 1,000 cars have been burnt down in France, and around 400 people have been detained over the New Year’s night, the BFMTV broadcaster has reported.
Overnight on January 1, a total of 984 vehicles were set on fire, the broadcaster said, citing the Interior Ministry, adding that 420 people were detained and 310 people were taken into custody.
French Minister of the Interior Bruno Retailleau said that there were many incidents involving launching fireworks, including with police and firefighters.
In Lyon, a two-year-old girl reportedly sustained injuries to her face and eye when a flaming firework hit her stroller. Another person was delivered to a hospital in critical condition after a firework-involving incident.
Paris police said it would deploy about 10,000 officers in the Paris metropolitan area during the holidays. A total of 100,000 law enforcers are deployed in France during this period, an increase from 90,000 last year amid fears of clashes and vandalism in cities.
A number of communes in France imposed a 10 p.m. curfew for minors on December 31. Firecrackers and fuel in transportable containers have been banned for sale in a number of districts.
French Minister of the Interior Bruno Retailleau urged prefects and security officers to be highly vigilant during the end-of-year celebrations “due to the high level of terrorist threat weighing over the country” as well as “growing international tensions.”.
