Mayor attacked, Chinese tourists affected

The riot situation in France continues to be complicated, despite the efforts of President Emmanuel Macron's administration.

(07.02) Pháp đã huy động 45.000 cảnh sát để ngăn chặn tình trạng bạo loạn ở nước này trong vài ngày qua. (Nguồn: AP)

Riots in France continue to escalate - Photo: Riot police on the Champs-Élysées Avenue, Paris on July 1. (Source: AP)

On July 2, Mayor of L'Hay-les-Roses (France), Mr. Vincent Jeanbrun said that rioters "crashed a car" into his house before "setting it on fire" while his family was sleeping.

“My wife and one of my children were injured. It was attempted murder of unspeakable cowardice. Last night the riots escalated to a level of horror and disgrace,” he wrote on Twitter .

On the same day, the Chinese Consulate General in Marseille lodged a complaint, calling on local authorities to ensure the safety of citizens and property. The statement also advised Chinese people in or about to visit France to “increase their vigilance” and “be more cautious” in the face of the riots that have swept across the European country.

Earlier, CCTV (China) reported that a bus carrying Chinese tourists was attacked on June 29 in the city of Marseille. Rioters smashed windows and slightly injured tourists. Later, the Chinese Consulate Office in the Marseille area confirmed that the group of tourists had left the European country.

The wave of riots in France, which erupted after police shot dead a 17-year-old boy trying to flee a traffic stop, entered its fifth day. Rioters continued to burn cars, attack infrastructure and clash with security forces. The same day, the French Interior Ministry confirmed that the number of arrests of extremists in the fifth night of riots had risen to 719.

Immediately after the outbreak, Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne held an emergency meeting with national security officials, and President Emmanuel Macron was forced to cut short his attendance at the European Union (EU) Summit in Brussels (Belgium) and postpone his trip to Germany to directly direct and resolve this situation.

For his part, French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said that since the night of July 1, 45,000 security personnel have been deployed to prevent riots in the country. Additional security forces and equipment have been sent to Lyon, Grenoble and Marseille, which have previously witnessed violent riots.

Although the level of rioting appeared to have subsided, security forces had still made hundreds of arrests as of 1:30 a.m. on July 2. On the night of July 1 alone, French police arrested nearly 1,000 people believed to be involved in the riots.

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