Cars have been set on fire near several prisons in France while one was targeted with automatic gunfire, in possible retaliation against government anti-drug policies, justice ministry officials said on Tuesday.
On Monday, three vehicles, including two belonging to prison staff, were set on fire in the car park of the Villepinte prison north of Paris, police said. A fuel canister was found on site, and CCTV footage showed two individuals torching cars.
Cars parked outside three other prisons, one near Paris and two in southern France, were also set on fire.
In a prison in Toulon, on France’s southern coast, 15 bullet impacts were found on the front gate following an attack with a “Kalashnikov-type” assault weapon, union FO Justice said.
According to prison staff union FO Justice, “vehicles were torched, prison gates set on fire, and even targeted with heavy guns.”
In a prison in nearby Aix, two vehicles were set on fire and the gate of the local ERIS prison surveillance unit was damaged, the union added.
Overnight Sunday to Monday, fires had already been set in the parking lots of a prison staff training centre and a prison near Paris.
Drug crackdown?
“All this appeared to have been coordinated and is clearly linked to the anti-drug gang strategy” introduced by Justice Minister Gerald Darmanin, a source told French news agency AFP after the incidents recorded overnight to Tuesday.
(with AFP)
Read also:
New prison to isolate 100 of France’s most dangerous drug lords
Overcrowding in French prisons puts justice system under scrutiny
Young offenders drive repeat crime rates in France, study shows