Following the police assassination of Nahel in Nanterre (Hauts-de-Seine) Tuesday morning, a first, a second, then a third night of rioting took place throughout the country; destructive riots on which we have published long lists here. And finally, a fourth was not long in coming this last night of Friday 30th to Saturday 1st July.
via: sansnom Translated by a comrade for Act for freedom now!
[Summary of regional and national press, July 1, 2023]
Everywhere: 4th night of riotous revolt, it’s still burning and looting
What marked this fourth night of riots, in addition to clashes with the police around the country, was new cities joining the fight (small or medium -sized), the beginnings of the use or theft of firearms (Lyon, Marseille), and looting for which hundreds of youths have been able to show up (including in the day or early evening: according to the Minister of Finance, the summary so far is that 200 large retail stores were attacked and looted, along with 250 tobacconists (newsagents), 250 banks, and a dozen shopping centres — 700 in all).
Regarding the targets – which we concentrate more willingly, while the journo-cops filter them more – it remains everything that embodies local state and institutional domination (from town halls to schools, socio-cultural centres, social landlords, or the post office) which were most burnt this night.
Some figures
The Ministry of the Interior identified last night from June 30 to 1st
July, 2,560 fires on the public highway (against 3,880 in the night From Thursday to Friday), 1,350 vehicles torched (against 1,919 at night previous) and 266 burnt or damaged buildings, including 26 town halls, 24 schools and 5 justice establishments (against 492 the previous night). In addition, 58 cop dens were attacked (31 commissariat-type stations, 16 municipal police stations. and 11 gendarmerie barracks). 1,311 people were arrested that night across France. A total of 79 police officers and gendarmes were injured.
[AFP, July 1, 2023, very toned-down map, as we can see below…]
North-Eastern France
In Mont-Saint-Martin (Meurthe-et-Moselle), after several attempts, thirty people burst into the town hall where they found two private security guards.
A fire started in the reception, then the intervention of police officers sent the attackers off. Later that night, a group returned, this time to go upstairs and ransack the place, right up to the mayor’s office: “There is soot everywhere, the windows are smashed. Everything is broken: the photocopiers, computers, the furniture… Everything is devastated”, he lamented.
[Metz (Moselle), two armoured vehicles of the gendarmerie sent to the capital Mosellane, Place de la République]
[Metz (Moselle), night of 30th June to 1st July: the médiathèque of the Borny torched]
In Metz (Moselle), around 8.15pm., more than 200 people gathered at Place de la République. The demonstrators then took out the paving stones to use them as projectiles against the police. The rioters headed in the direction of the Palais du Gouverneur, breaking most of the windows of the Arsenal concert hall on the way.
In the evening, the Jean-Macé médiathèque in the Borny neighbourhood was set on fire. The building is completely destroyed and unusable. “There will be millions of euros in damage”, according Metz’s mayor François Grosdidier. He followed the evolution of the situation all night from the video surveillance centre of the municipal police.
[Woippy (Moselle), night of 30th June to 1st July: McDonald’s still smoking]
[Yutz (Moselle), night of 30th June to 1st July: a second McDonald’s burnt]
[Yutz (Moselle), night of 30th June to 1st July: ex McDonald’s, rear view]
In Woippy and Yutz (Moselle), McDonald’s restaurants were burnt. In the first city, the Peugeot dealership was also targetted. In the second, around twenty rioters broke into the Décathlon store during the night, smashing through the glass doors. They helped themselves to clothes and bikes.
In Strasbourg (Alsace), between 2pm. and 3pm, hundreds of youths arrived in front of the market, before heading to the stores in the city centre in small, scattered groups. Numerous shops had decided to close, but not always early enough, like the Apple store that was looted. The Rhine National Opera was also targetted: the restaurant terrace wastrashed, the front door broken and the lobby trashed.
[Saint-Florentin (Yonne), night of 30th June to 1st July: DIY store Weldom burned all night]
At around midnight in Saint-Florentin (Yonne), firefighters went to the scene of the Weldom DIY store, in flames, located near the Trécey neighbourhood. The rioters present on site repel them with stones and fireworks until 4am, when the firefighters are really able to intervene in the disaster, while the 1,500 square meters of the store surface were completely engulfed in flames.
In Auxerre (Yonne), a car rental store is ransacked: several Mercedes or Range Rover vehicles are smashed.
[Dijon (Bourgogne), night of 30th June to 1st July: a school burns in the Grésilles neighbourhood]
In Dijon (Burgundy), at around 6pm in the Grésilles neighbourhood, the Champollion primary school is burnt and at least one classroom is completely destroyed.
Auvergne-Rhône Alpes
[Auvergne-Rhône Alpes Lyon (Rhône): night of 30th June to 1st July, la Croix Rousse police station on fire]
In Lyon (Rhône), after the rally in Place des Terreaux, which brought together more than a thousand people, despite having been banned by the local authorities, clashes with the police and looting spread to the city. The police station of the Croix-Rousse was burnt down, around thirty shops were ransacked/looted until late at night: sports shops (Courir and JD Sport, Rue de la République), luxury stores (Louis Vuitton and Lacoste, Rue Simon-Maupin), but also household appliances (Boulanger at Cordeliers) and at least two Monoprix (Croix-Rousse and Cordeliers). Targets also include a bank, a tabacconist/newsagents, a post office, a bicycle store (looted).
[Vaulx-en-Velin (Rhône), night of June 30 to July 1, 2023]
In Vaulx-en-Velin, in the city of Mas du Taureau, a rioter on a scooter fired a loaded shotgun against the police (at a distance of 50m), at Place Guy Moquet where barricades had been set on fire by fifty rioters. Ten police officers were injured and four hospitalised, affected by lead in the arms, thighs and face (cheekbone).
In Grenoble (Isère), from 8pm, hundreds of youths entered the city
centre by force with burning bins and fireworks, while attacking shops: Lacoste, Hugo Boss, Foot Locker, dozens of major stores in the centre (and the Galeries Lafayette), but also the smallest shops in the pedestrian streets, were completely looted. During the night in the Echirolles neighbourhood the mechanics Automobile Norauto, located avenue Salvador-Allende, was broken into and several vehicles were burned. In Villefontaine, the police offices were torched.
[Chambéry (Savoie), night of 30th June to 1st July, 2023: Fire in the premises of the FOL association]
[Grenoble (Isère) night of 30th June to 1st July 2023: police office burned in Villefontaine]
In Chambéry (Savoie), the evening started with a demo from the Place d’Italie with a few hundred participants, who then headed to the Covet neighbourhood. Later around 10.30pm, the premises of the Federation of Secular Works (FOL, a popular education association) were completely burnt down. A bit further away, the canteen of the Simone-Veil primary school was also burnt down on rue Hector-Berlioz, in the district of Mérande .
[Annemasse (Savoie), night of 30th June to 1st July: Nelson Mandela House community centre in flames]
In Annemasse (Haute-Savoie), the Nelson Mandela community centre was burnt at around 2am, it was home to the city’s youth service. A tobacconist was also looted.
[Scionzier (Haute-Savoie), night of 30th June to 1st July:smouldering offices of Gallay college]
In Scionzier (Haute-Savoie), there was a riotous night in the Ewües and Sardagne neighbourhoods. The administrative premises of the Gallay college were burnt, while the municipal police station was attacked.
In St-Etienne (Loire), in the city centre, several hundred youths smashed shop windows with rocks or metal objects, then looted several clothing, opticians’ and jewellery shops.
[Roanne (Loire), night of 30th June to 1st July: fire in the Centrakor furniture store]
[Roanne (Loire), night of 30th June to 1st July: fire at the CFA building]
In Roanne (Loire), in the area of the route de Charlieu, the store Centrakor was completely destroyed by a fire caused by molotovs.In the Parc district, the CFA (Training Center for Apprentices) BTP (Building and Public Works), rue Marcel-Cerdan, was set on fire. It had just renovated the buildings and equipment the previous week. Its gate was ripped off and the front door fractured, then several classrooms as well as the electrical workshop went up in flames.
[Clermont-Ferrand (Puy-de-Dôme), night of 30th June to 1st July: the community centre in Croix-de-Neyrat burns]
In Clermont-Ferrand (Puy-de-Dôme), the community centre of the district of Vergnes was burnt down, as was the community centre of Croix-de-Neyrat.
Centre region
In Limoges (Haute Vienne), several shops in the town centre were vandalised and looted, barricades were installed at several places in town, and there were numerous firework attacks in the direction of law enforcement. There was also looting in the Northern zone. Cash Converters, a second-hand puchase and resale business was rammed with a car. Motorcycles were stolen from Evolution 7 in the South zone, while U Supermarket on rue Aristide Briand was set on fire around two o’clock in the morning. A team from GIGN urgently dispatched to Limoges from Toulouse, accompanied by the PSIG (Gendarmerie Surveillance and Intervention Platoon).
Western France
[Brest (Finistère), night of 30th June to 1st July: KFC is grilled]
In Brest (Finistère), the Kerourien social centre, which includes the premises of Brest Métropole Habitat, was set on fire. The town hall annex and the Bellevue police station were damaged, while the KFC in the area of Carrefour Iroise was burnt down.
In Niort (Deux-Sèvres), around ten social landlord offices of Deux-Sèvres Habitat were ransacked, computers were destroyed and office furniture was smashed. The rioters broke down the doors and windows on the ground floor to get in. The agency will be closed until further notice.
[Nantes (Loire-Atlantique), night of 30th June to 1st July: the fate of the town hall annex of the district of Boissière is definitively settled]
In Nantes (Loire-Atlantique), in the Boissière district, a fire ravaged the annex of the town hall for a second time – having already been licked by flames the previous day – thereby finishing the job.
[Saint-Nazaire (Loire-Atlantique), night of 30th June to 1st July: the Blue Ribbon mall, looted]
In Saint-Nazaire (Loire-Atlantique), several shops in the Blue Ribbon shopping mall were looted, as was McDonalds located in the Océanis shopping centre.
[Coulaines (Sarthe), night of 30th June to 1st July: the burnt down town hall]
In Coulaines (Sarthe), the town hall was targetted by rioters around 2.30am, who destroyed the sliding doors and the entrance, then threw molotovs inside. The reception, civil status, and the municipal centre of social action were ravaged by the flames. The town hall was not looted: “It is simply an attempt at destruction on the part of brainless thugs,” said mayor Christophe Rouillon, upset at this “sort of unacceptable desecration.”.
[Angers (Maine-et-Loire), night of 30th June to 1st July: the police station of Monplaisir district]
[Angers (Maine-et-Loire), night of 30th June to 1st July: the Solidarity House in the Monplaisir district]
In Angers (Maine-et-Loire), in the Monplaisir area the police station was attacked by rioters during the night and totally burnt down, shops were looted; the Tom-Pouce crèche, the Solidarity House and a dozen cars were set on fire, while a council building and job centre were damaged.
In Le Mans (Sarthe), a hundred rioters damaged vehicles and looted several stores in the city centre.
In La Roche-sur-Yon (Vendée), a fire began at a police station
[Gaillon (Eure), night of 30th June to 1st July: the large Renault dealership fire]
[The Renault dealership seen from above]
[Gaillon (Eure), night of 30th June to 1st July: McDonalds goes up in smoke]
In Gaillon (Eure), it’s the second night of rioting in this city with a population of 7000. Over the night of 29th to 30th June, the Renault garage was attacked: after breaking the glass, two exhibition vehicles were were taken out to be burned at the entrance to the district, while the dealership itself was in flames, destroying some twenty vehicles parked inside and damaging the seven cars stored outside.
In the night of June 30th to July 1st, after being prevented from looting the Auchan store, the rioters returned at 5am and burned the adjacent McDonald’s…
In Evreux (Eure), a hypermarket was looted and a police station targeted by incendiary devices.
In Cholet (Maine-et-Loire), the house of the Les Républicains (LR) mayor (since 1995) who was in the process of moving house, was extensively ransacked and looted overnight.
[Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray (Normandy), night of 30th June to 1st July, the Picasso college is partially burned down]
In Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray (Seine-Maritime), the Pablo-Picasso college has been attacked and partly burned. The central kitchen is inoperative. Action and Aldi stores were also looted.
Nord
Clashes with law enforcement and looting took place in several towns in Nord-Pas-de-Calais department, in particular in Lens, Maubeuge, Calais, Douai, Béthune, Valenciennes, Plane, Berck-sur-Mer, Boulogne-sur-Mer, Longuenesse, Carvin, Lillers, Sallaumines, Saint-Omer, Aulnoye-Aymeries and Roubaix.
Businesses and a police station were damaged in Lens centre, while two other police stations, in Béthune and Sallaumine, were also damaged, as well as the main door of a police station in Carvin.
[Quiévrechain (Nord), night of 30th June to 1st July, an Action store torched]
In Quiévrechain (Nord), the Action store in the small commercial area Match, avenue Jean-Jaurès, was set on fire around 1.30am.
In Amiens (Somme), where a curfew had been introduced yesterday in certain neighborhoods for unaccompanied children under 16, the médiathèque in the Etouvie neighbourhood was burned down for the second time this week.
In Charleville-Mézières (Ardennes), the LR mayor Boris Ravignon had decided to organise a citizens patrol near nurseries, schools and municipal facilities. In the Ronde-Couture district, he was attacked by a hail of bottles after putting out a bin fire ignited by rioters. The car in which he had to retreat with other elected officials then had the rear window smashed by stones.
In Lens (Pas-de-Calais), it was around 11.30pm that it kicked off in the Grande Résidence neighbourhood. Shortly before midnight, the rioters converged on the police station of Flaubert Tower which they managed to ransack. More disparate groups entered the centre, where businesses were damaged and looted (including one jewellery store). Leaving the station, they then went back up to the town hall which was targetted. This is evidenced by the impacts that riddle the glass facade of the building on Place Jean-Jaurès.
Ile-de-France:
[AFP, 1st July 2023]
Seine Saint Denis
Bondy (Seine-Saint-Denis), night of 30th June to 1st July: the date at Conforama finally took place
In Bondy (Seine-Saint-Denis), a hundred or so young guys in hoods had gathered on the bridge over the Canal de l’Ourcq next to of the northern districts of Bondy (Seine-Saint-Denis) with the intention of looting the Conforama located just next door. The target was announced on social networks: “Communiqué for the Bondy people tonight, we’re all doing Conforama. Be close and organised and have good logistics. Go tonight for Conforama. Meet at 11.30pm.Spread the word”.
Dozens rushed to the store. Some left with flat screens. Others with boxes impossible to identify. RAID cops made several charges, supported by traditional police units. Amid a barrage of flames, the hooded youths threw stones and tried to push back the police in order to recover more stuff. A RAID team positioned itself n front of the warehouse to block them. Then the RAID started again. The rioters, of all ages, returned loot the store with dozens of cars ready to fill their boots.
Montreuil (Seine-Saint-Denis)
In Montreuil, there were many fires, and again a lot of looting. In Croix de Chavaux, the heart of the city, the big Monoprix was looted, as well as a Franprix avenue Gabriel Péri, plus many small shops. Avenue Péri is strewn with debris and barriers of a building site. As part of the city is plunged into darkness, it emphasises even more the intensity of the lights…. The events began late in the evening, with a number of lootings taking place after 1 o’clock in the morning.
In Romainville, in the Trois-Communes district, a scooter store was stormed and looted.
[Saint-Denis, night of 30th June to 1st July: fire in the lobby of the administrative centre of the municipality]
In Saint-Denis, the administrative centre went up in smoke. The building, which is located not far from the town hall, was set on fire around 12.30am. An entire wing was destroyed, including the civil status service.
In Drancy, the Carrefour supermarket and the shopping mall was targetted and thoroughly looted by a group of youths.
Seine et Marne
In Nemours, despite the curfew in effect from 10pm, the Espace cultural centre is totally destroyed by fire. It hosted the La Scala association and the Claude Monet municipal hall.
Val d’Oise
[Persan (Val d’Oise), night of 30th June to 1st July: the town hall is trashed and set on fire]
In Persan, the town hall was set on fire during the night. The door was totally destroyed and everything was devastated by the flames. It was towards 1.30am that the fire was reported: the building was 80% destroyed and the adjacent police station completely burned down.
Hauts-de-Seine
[Nanterre, Paris suburb, France, July 1, 2023]
In Nanterre (Hauts-de-Seine), city of the young Nahel who was murdered by a cop on Tuesday, a tourist coach went up in smoke near the Nanterre City RER station. Around 3.30am, the premises of the Central Directorate of the Judicial Police (DCPJ) were attacked. Rioters didn’t manage to get inside, but windows were broken. In the same area, a bank, a bakery and a supermarket were ransacked.
Val de Marne
In L’Haÿ-les-Roses, the neo-Baltard style market hall inaugurated last year caught fire. Messages on were left for local authorities such as “We have your addresses…we are going to burn you” written on the walls.
Southern France:
[Nîmes (Gard), night of 30th June to 1st July: fire in the entrance of the DDTM (Departmental Directorate of Territories and the Sea)]
In Nîmes (Gard), the ground floor of the DDTM located near the district Pissevin was destroyed by a fire of over 300m2. Four other buildings were also set on fire, including an opticians, a tobacconist, and a branch of Crédit Agricole bank.
[Montpellier (Hérault), night of 30th June to 1st July: the post office in Mosson]
In Montpellier (Hérault), several shops were damaged or looted in the city centre (the Swarovski jewellery store, Orange and Dior) and in the Petit-Bard, Cévennes or Cité Astruc neighbourhoods (tobacconist, Crédit Agricole ATM, etc.). In the Mosson district, the post office was completely burnt down.
[Toulouse (Haute-Garonne), night of 30th June to 1st July: opening a Yamaha dealer with a stolen backhoe]
In Toulouse (Haute-Garonne), near the Sept-Deniers neighbourhood, a Yamaha motorbike store located at 6 rue Louis Bonin was vandalised by a group of individuals who didn’t hesitate to use a stolen backhoe to smash the shop window around 3am, after first destroying the entrance gate to this mini commercial area. Several motorcycles were stolen (and seven people arrested out of around thirty assailants).
In Privas (Ardèche), in the Lancelot district, a truck from Ardèche Habitat was burnt down.
Bordeaux (Gironde), evening of June 30
In Bordeaux (Gironde), a rally against police violence took place Place de la Bourse in the early evening, despite the ban on assembly decreed by the prefecture. A procession then marched through the city centre. Trash cans were burned and windows broken, particularly in rue Sainte-Catherine, the main commercial artery of the city.
[Marseille (Bouches-du-Rhône), night of 30th June to 1st July: Aldi in Flamants, looted and burnt down]
[Marseille (Bouches-du-Rhône), night of 30th June to 1st July: one of the looted jewellery stores]
In Marseille (Bouches-du-Rhône), After initial clashes in the early evening on the Canebière, the situation quickly became tense. Many stores were looted after being trashed, and the Aldi store in Les Flamants (14th arr.) was set on fire. After having destroyed a wall and smashing through the window, “five to eight” shotguns were stolen from one of the city’s two armouries, Negrel and Mistral, located rue d’Aubagne, during the riots.
During the night, shopping centres on the outskirts of the city (Le Merlan, les Terrasses du Port, le Centre Bourse, Grand Littoral) were attacked with varying degrees of success. According to a latest report from the authorities, 95 people were arrested overnight, and 31 cops injured. In addition, a CRS unit arrived as reinforcements during the night, and reinforcements from the gendarmerie were also deployed in Marseille, in support of the police.
The Marseille Espérance association, which brings together spiritual leaders from the various religious communities in Marseille, for its part launched a call for appeasement.