World

France says 690 cars torched on NYE

By AAP Newswire

Jan 2, 2023

Rioters set fire to 690 cars in France over New Year's Eve, 21 per cent less than last year, Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin has told broadcaster BFMTV.

Hold tight - we’re checking permissions before loading more content

More than 90,000 police officers were deployed across the country and authorities said the turn of the year passed peacefully and without any major incidents.

AÂ total of 490 arrests were made across France.

Darmanin said that in central Paris alone, about two million people were on the street celebrating.

In Strasbourg on the German border, where there were often problems in previous years, the police reported a relatively quiet night, BFMTV said.

Still, about 60 vehicles were set on fire in Strasbourg - which has become something of new year's tradition in France - and there were about 60 arrests of mainly young people.

In the southern French city of Marseille, where there are frequent fatal incidents in the drug scene, a 26-year-old man was injured in a shooting.

Three men in their early 20s were held as suspects and a large sum of money was seized from them.