(CLO) The French Interior Minister said a shooting at a restaurant led to a brawl between hundreds of members of rival gangs overnight in the city of Poitiers.
A shootout between rival drug gangs left at least five teenagers injured and sparked a violent brawl involving hundreds of people on Thursday night in the western French city of Poitiers.
French Interior Minister Retailleau. Photo: Paoloni Jeremy/ABACA
French Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau told BFM TV on Friday that drug-related violence in France had reached a "tipping point".
Mr Retailleau cited a police report saying that between 400 and 600 people, carrying "various weapons" were involved in the fight.
"It started with a shooting at a restaurant and ended with a conflict between rival gangs involving hundreds of people," he said.
When police arrived at the scene on Thursday evening, they had to use tear gas and it took nearly an hour to restore order.
According to reports, paramedics found a 15-year-old boy with a serious gunshot wound to the head, and two other boys (15 and 16 years old) also with serious gunshot wounds. All three were taken to the hospital.
Two others, both 16, went to the hospital emergency room on their own to be treated for minor injuries.
Police said at least ten bullet casings were found at the scene and announced that national police would be deployed to the Couronneries neighbourhood of Poitiers, where “tensions between different groups” were rising.
Mr Retailleau said security in France would tighten in the coming period - either "total mobilisation" or France would fall into a state of "Mexicanisation" as he referred to the drug violence in Mexico.
He has called for a "national effort" akin to the war on terror to tackle drug crime since taking up his post in the new administration led by Prime Minister Michel Barnier.
Drug-related violence by gangs is becoming a serious problem in France, with many cities experiencing deadly conflicts.
A recent report by the French Senate's investigative committee estimated annual turnover from drug trafficking in France at between 3 and 6 billion euros ($3.3-6.6 billion).
“These ‘drug cartels’ know no bounds… These shootouts are not happening in South America, they are happening in Rennes, in Poitiers… we have reached a tipping point,” Retailleau said on Friday.
He referred to the case of a 5-year-old boy who was shot twice in the head on October 27 when he was accidentally caught up in a chase and gun battle on a highway in Rennes, France. Retailleau said the investigation was ongoing and the boy’s life was still in danger.
Cao Phong (according to DW, AFP)
Source: https://www.congluan.vn/dau-sung-va-au-da-giua-cac-bang-dang-van-de-bao-luc-them-nghiem-trong-o-phap-post319607.html
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