According to AFP, as of July 2, violent protests in France have entered their fifth consecutive day. Although the level of violence has shown signs of decreasing, French security forces still have to make hundreds of arrests of extremists. The French Interior Ministry confirmed that the number of people arrested has increased to 719. Previously, there was also information that a total of more than 1,300 rioters were arrested in the mass disturbances on the night of July 1.

Riot police are on hand to prevent violent protests in Caen, France. Photo: NBC News

AFP news agency also quoted Vincent Jeanbrun, the leader of the town of L'Hay-les-Roses in the suburbs of Paris, describing the violence on the night of July 1 as escalating to a terrifying level. Sharing on Twitter, Mr. Jeanbrun said the rioters even crashed a car into his house before setting it on fire while his family was sleeping, injuring his wife and children.

Violent protests began in many parts of France on June 27 after police shot dead a 17-year-old boy who refused to obey orders and tried to flee a traffic stop in a Paris suburb. In many places, rioters attacked infrastructure, looted shops, burned cars and clashed with security forces. French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said that from the night of July 1 to the morning of July 2, about 45,000 security personnel were deployed to many locations to prevent violence. In particular, places that witnessed intense violence such as Lyon, Grenoble and Marseille have been reinforced with security forces and equipment. However, looting continues to take place in these cities.

The complicated situation of violent protests has forced French President Emmanuel Macron to postpone his state visit to Germany, which was scheduled to last from July 2 to 4. According to the announcement of the German President's Office, Mr. Macron spoke by phone with President Frank-Walter Steinmeier about the protests in France and requested to postpone the visit. Previously, Mr. Macron also had to end his attendance at the European Union (EU) Summit in Brussels (Belgium) early to return home to chair a meeting related to the security situation. According to President Macron's statement, exploiting the death of a teenager to cause riots is an unacceptable act.

Meanwhile, shortly after the violent protests broke out, French Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne announced the cancellation of large-scale events nationwide. The tram and bus networks were also forced to stop operating from the night of June 30 after becoming the target of violent attacks. As the protests dragged on for a third consecutive night, Ms. Borne announced that the French government was considering all measures to restore order, including declaring a state of emergency. An aide to Ms. Borne revealed that the French government was ready to apply security measures "without restricted zones".

However, it remains unclear whether French authorities will consider and impose tougher measures to address the ongoing unrest in the country.

ANH VU