Large Group of Attackers Launch Fireworks at Police Station Outside of Paris

Around 40 people attacked a police station: launching fireworks at the station,  and destroying equipment and police cars. (Pikist)

Around 40 people attacked a police station outside of Paris, on October 11. The attackers launched fireworks at the station, destroying equipment and police cars. The police did not report any injuries.

The assault is the latest in a string of acts of violence against French first responders. Last October, a disgruntled employee at the police headquarters in Paris stabbed three police officers and an office worker to death before being shot by police. 

Last week, three men assaulted two police officers in Herblay, north of Paris. The assailants stole the officers’ weapons and shot them both while they were on a surveillance mission. One is still in critical condition.

In July, the French President Emmanuel Macron removed the previous interior minister, Christophe Castaner, from his administration after the protests, enlisting Darmanin to take his place.

Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin criticized the attackers as “bullies” and said that France would do everything it could to support its police officers. He also vowed that the investigation would be of “the greatest firmness” in order to find the perpetrators and bring them to justice. 

Darmanin cited police efforts to combat drug trafficking in the area as a possible motive for the attack, and the police union explained that the station is located at the center of a drug trafficking ring in Champagne-sur-Marne.

Darmanin also called for banning the sale of firework mortars in person as well as online, saying that drug traffickers often use the devices as weapons to attack police stations in the country. 

Macron has presided over a growing rift between the general public and police officers since the beginning of his presidency in 2017. In June, thousands of protestors marched onto the streets of Paris to speak out against police brutality, and Macron was criticized by many for allegedly failing to address the issue sufficiently. 

Macron visited with members of police unions at the Élysée Palace to discuss ways to combat violence against police officers on October 8.