The authorities in France have made 3,354 arrests in a six-day span amid the race riots following the death of a 17-year-old teenager who was stopped at a traffic light in a Paris suburb.
The Ministry of the Interior published the details of the damage done to the country, which includes more than 3,000 arrests since June 27. In addition, 5,662 vehicles have been set on fire, and more than 1,000 buildings have been damaged, according to Le Parisien.
Of the 3,354 arrests made, 1,282 of them have been made within the jurisdiction of the Paris police headquarters, suggesting that there are many other locations where people have been apprehended. The report mentioned that 60 percent of the people arrested are first-time offenders who are not known to the authorities, with a clear criminal record.
The average age of those arrested during the riots is 17, and there have been 254 attacks against law enforcement officers alone. During these incidents, 722 personnel have been injured.
The two most violent nights of riots were June 29 and 30, which included 875 and 1,311 arrests; 1,919 and 1,585 vehicles set on fire; and 90 and 78 attacks on police stations. However, these numbers have dropped in recent days.
The police have remained busy. The report noted that there were only 7,000 police deployed to the streets during the first night of riots, with the estimated number of officers now out being closer to 45,000, even though the damage and violence have gradually decreased.
French President Emmanuel Macron has come under heavy scrutiny after he was reported to have attended an Elton John concert while many parts of France were being destroyed. He subsequently canceled a separate planned trip to Germany after photos surfaced of him attending the concert. If Macron had traveled to Germany, it would have been the first time a French leader had visited the country in 23 years.
