STORY: 719 arrested during overnight violence in France: ministry
DATELINE: July 3, 2023
LENGTH: 0:01:04
LOCATION: Paris
CATEGORY: OTHERS

SHOTLIST:
1. STANDUP (English): CHEN YUSHAN, Xinhua correspondent
2. various of street views in Paris

STORYLINE:

STANDUP (English): CHEN YUSHAN, Xinhua correspondent
"At least 719 people were arrested overnight from Saturday to Sunday in France, the fifth night of nationwide violence sparked by the killing of a teen by a police officer, France's Interior Ministry said on Sunday.
According to the ministry, 45 police officers and gendarmes were injured, while 577 vehicles and 74 buildings were burnt.
French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said that Saturday night was 'calmer' than Friday night when 1,311 people were arrested and 1,350 vehicles burnt."

The interior minister tweeted on Saturday night that around 45,000 French security forces were deployed across the country to face rioting and looting, with about 7,000 alone in Paris and its suburbs.
   
French President Emmanuel Macron met with top ministers late Sunday to discuss emergency responses.

Rioters also attacked on Saturday night the house of the mayor of Hay-les-Roses, a city in southern Paris suburbs, injuring the mayor's wife and one of his children.
   
Speaking to French media, Paris police chief Laurent Nunez said that the rioters "crossed a line" by attacking a mayor's home. He said the police would carry out an investigation and do "everything" to catch the perpetrators.
   
Nunez assured that the police would remain "very concentrated and determined" in the face of urban violence, with heavier police deployment in the greater Paris on Sunday night.

On Tuesday last week, a French police officer opened fire and killed a 17-year-old while the latter refused to comply to pull over his car.
   
The police officer later told investigators that he had acted for fear of the car causing a fatal accident.

Last Tuesday's shooting triggered violent protests and riots throughout France, which have led to the police arresting thousands of people in major French cities.

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Paris.
(XHTV)