According to DW , protesters committed 2,579 arson attacks and 316 attacks on public buildings. “Since March 16, 1,093 police officers, gendarmes, and firefighters have been injured in the riots,” said the minister.
As Darmanen pointed out, “the police have an obligation to say stop when it comes to violence.” He also noted that at the start of the demonstrations, several dozen files had been opened against police officers and gendarmes, accused of “police violence”. According to the head of the French Ministry of the Interior, he never spared “those who dishonor the form”. Darmanen recalled that in 2021, 111 law enforcement officers were punished for disproportionate use of force, in 2020 – 101 people.
At the same time, the minister dismissed concerns previously expressed by the UN and Council of Europe special rapporteur over the use of force in France against protesters.
