France to deploy huge numbers of police for Bastille Day
Paris, Jul 12 (EFE).- France will deploy an “exceptional” number of police officers and firefighters to prevent unrest during the upcoming Bastille Day holiday weekend, the government said Wednesday.
A total of 130,000 police will be mobilized, with 45,000 deployed on Thursday night, the eve of France’s national day on July 14.
In addition, 34,000 firefighters will be deployed, interior minister Gerald Darmanin told a press conference, saying the massive numbers of security personnel was needed to avoid a repeat of the “extreme violence” seen two weeks ago when a wave of unrest swept the nation following the fatal police shooting of a teenager during a traffic stop in a Paris suburb.
Darmanin pointed out that the night before July 14 often sees violence incidents in urban areas, after last year’s celebrations saw more than 800 arrests and over 600 cars set on fire.
More than 12,000 cars were burned and hundreds of stores and several hundred other public buildings, such as schools, libraries and police stations, were looted during the recent unrest that began on June 27 and lasted a week.
About 4,000 people arrested and more than 900 policemen were injured, said Darmanin, who said that the ban on the possession, use and sale of fireworks to individuals, which came into force on July 9, would be extended until the end of next Saturday.
In addition, trams and public bus services will stop at 10 pm, while demonstrations have been banned until July 15. EFE
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