French interior minister Manuel Valls has been booed in the northern city of Amiens, hours after riots which left more than a dozen people injured.
Police used tear gas and rubber bullets to quell the unrest that erupted in the area late on Monday; a primary school was severely damaged by fire, and a sports centre was destroyed. At least 16 officers were wounded by buckshot, fireworks and other projectiles thrown by rioters. Valls told the community that nothing could excuse the attacks on the police or the destruction of public amenities.
The clashes, which involved around local youths, were triggered by the arrest of a man for dangerous driving. The arrest was seen as insensitive, as it came as many residents of the neighbourhood were attending a wake for a local year-old who had died in a motorbike accident. Police in Amiens said the riot began around 9pm local time on Monday, ending around 4am local time after federal reinforcements arrived.
It followed lower-scale clashes 24 hours earlier, which were triggered by the arrest of a man for dangerous driving. Those areas will see an emphasis on tougher policing. Unemployment in Amiens stands at around 45 per cent.
But French President Francois Hollande on Tuesday made it clear he regarded the unrest in Amiens as primarily a problem of criminality, and promised a tough response. Published On 15 Aug 15 Aug Sponsored Content.
