Fifteen days after the death of Nahel, which caused numerous riots all over France, a July 14 under tension is looming. The Minister of the Interior detailed on Wednesday the “exceptional” security system that will be put in place.
Two days before the national holiday, the Interior has unveiled its security system so that the festivities do not turn into a fiasco. While the riots that followed the death of young Nahel, killed by a policeman in Nanterre on June 27, are still on everyone’s mind, intelligence fears, more than ever, new outbursts on the occasion of July 14 . In this context, the Minister of the Interior, Gérald Darmanin, unveiled this Wednesday, July 12, 2023, a security device described as “exceptional”.
“The festivities linked to our national holiday are unfortunately traditionally marked by acts of violence”, explained, among other things, the Minister of the Interior to defend a ban on demonstrations effective until July 15. Announcing a massive mobilization of the police, Gérald Darmanin also promised “great firmness with regard to those who would like to spoil” this weekend of festivities. A series of measures have also been taken, including the suspension of buses and trams from 10 p.m. throughout France. Paris police chief Laurent Nuñez then confirmed that the capital will be no exception.
Two weeks after the violent riots following the death of Nahel, killed by a policeman in Nanterre on June 27, the authorities are on the alert. In a note consulted by BFM TV, the territorial intelligence estimates that if the departures on vacation and the long weekend offered by the Friday holiday play in favor of the police, it cannot however be excluded that some sensitive neighborhoods are once again experiencing urban violence.
Three nights are considered sensitive: that of July 13 to 14, that of July 14 to 15 and that of July 15 to 16. Similarly, Île-de-France, Essonne in the lead, as well as the Nord department, Lyon and its surroundings are singled out. If the intelligence forecasts urban violence, he estimates for the moment that their intensity should remain less than that observed during the riots at the end of June.
The measures envisaged to keep the violence of July 14 at bay include the mobilization of some 130,000 police officers and gendarmes over the weekend, including 45,000 (10,000 in Paris) each evening of July 13 and 14, the objective being to avoid the great return of urban violence. Note that this is the “same modus operandi as during the riots”. The RAID, the GIGN, the BRI, but also armored vehicles from the gendarmerie or even helicopters will once again be dispatched to the territory in the most sensitive areas.
If in Paris, drones will reinforce the teams in the Eiffel Tower sector, in Lyon, a company specializing in urban violence, called CRS 8, will be sent as reinforcements, it was further specified. And it’s not just the members of the police who will be on the bridge. 34,000 firefighters were also requisitioned for the occasion during the day, while 40,000 of them will be mobilized at night (on guard or on-call duty).
Ahead of National Day, the Prime Minister issued a decree prohibiting “the sale, carrying, transport and use” of fireworks mortars during this weekend. If authorized professionals and municipalities organizing fireworks are not affected by this text, all individuals are.
Usually available over the counter, fireworks have been regularly diverted from their traditional use to fend off law enforcement during recent riots. And the seizures of these fireworks have multiplied since the week of riots in June. Gérald Darmanin welcomed the record of “150,000” mortars seized in recent days.