© AP Photo / Lewis JolyPolice officers face protesters in Paris, on June 30, 2023.
"If I was to put money on it I would say that we're going to see another night of violence," SKY News' Siobhan Robbins said while reporting on a gun store that was looted.
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Social unrest spread like cancer across French cities
for a fourth consecutive night, with hundreds of buildings and vehicles set ablaze. President Emmanuel Macron's government struggled to contain the violence, which was sparked on Tuesday after a teenager was shot dead by a police officer.
In an update on Saturday, France's Interior Ministry said
2,500 fires were reported overnight. Rioters set fire to 1,350 vehicles and 235 buildings nationwide. About 1,300 people were arrested, while the government
mobilized 45,000 police officers with armored vehicles to quell the violence.
According to
The Telegraph, French police said they were
"at war" with "savage hordes of vermin" on Friday night. The country's top police unions
threatened revolt unless Macron's government restored law and order.
"Today the police are in combat because we are at war. Tomorrow we will enter resistance and the government should be aware of this," police unions said.
Footage of the chaos overnight:
Comment: A more complete version of the police statement,
from RT:
"Now that's enough," said the statement by the Alliance Police Nationale and UNSA Police, posted on Facebook on Friday evening.
"Faced with these wild hordes, asking for calm is no longer enough, you have to impose it!" the unions said, adding that the only political signal needed at this moment is to restore the order in the republic.
"Our colleagues, like the majority of citizens, can no longer endure the dictates of these violent minorities. Now is not the time for union action but for the fight against these 'harm-makers'. Submitting, capitulating and pleasing them by laying down our arms is not the solution, given the gravity of the situation."
The police must show solidarity, put down the riots as quickly as possible, and restore the rule of law, the unions demanded, but warned the government that they expect "concrete measures for legal protection" of the officers going forward.
"Today the police are in combat because we are at war. Tomorrow we will be the resistance, and the government will have to realize this," the unions said in conclusion.
Meanwhile, Macron is blaming
video games.
"Platforms and networks are playing a major role in the events of recent days," he said of the unrest. "We've seen them - Snapchat, TikTok and several others - serve as places where violent gatherings have been organized, but there's also a form of mimicry of the violence which for some young people leads them to lose touch with reality."
The president added that youths were taking to the streets to act out "the video games that have intoxicated them," going on to urge parents to keep their children at home.
He's not wrong about Snapchat and TikTok, but the problem runs a bit deeper than that, and should be fairly obvious.
Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki made his own take this pretty clear
on Twitter:
On Friday, Morawiecki uploaded a clip on his Twitter page in support of a Polish-backed plan called "Europe of Secure Borders." The video depicted French streets and cars engulfed in flames, with rioters smashing store windows. The pictures of contrasted with peaceful and tidy Polish cities bustling with life.
"We do not want such scenes on Polish streets," the caption in the video read.
...
Morawiecki's tweet coincides with his harsh criticism of a migration overhaul proposal that would give EU members three options: accept relocated asylum seekers, pay €20,000 ($21,000) for each rejected applicant, or finance operational support.
By embracing this migration reform "Europe encourages smugglers to send more transports," the Polish premier charged. "If we invite 30,000, [then] 300,000 will come. If we invite a million, 30 million will come. It's an endless spiral," he said, adding that opening Europe's borders would not only empower criminals but also result in "an increased risk of terrorism in Europe."
Comment: See also: