OMM Newsroom
More than 500 people were injured during Yellow Vests demonstrations across France on Saturday, Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said on Monday, according to Anadolu Agency.
Speaking to French broadcaster BFMTV, Nunez said those injured included 267 law enforcement officers and more than 250 protesters. At least 1,435 people were detained nationwide over the weekend during protests against the rising cost of living, he added.
Despite the injuries and arrests, Nunez said there had been no major incidents during Saturday’s demonstrations. Three people were seriously injured in Toulouse, Reims and Clermont-Ferrand.
Nunez defended partial curfews imposed in several French cities, saying prefects had the authority to introduce restrictions when there was a risk of disturbances to public order. “The situation will not change much in the coming days,” he said.
Partial curfews remain in force in around 10 locations across the country and will continue to be implemented by prefectural authorities in coordination with local municipalities, he added.
Addressing clashes in Nice and Montpellier on Saturday involving groups opposed to the Yellow Vests movement, Nunez said police had not protected those groups. He also acknowledged mistakes in the authorities’ handling of the previous wave of Yellow Vests demonstrations on Oct. 17.
Separately, Nunez described a Friday attack in Trappes, in the Yvelines department, as a racially motivated act of terrorism. “What happened in Trappes is extremely serious. It was a racist terrorist attack,” he said.
Nunez said the perpetrator had sought to kill people of foreign origin whom he believed should not be integrated into French society. He said the possibility that the attacker had schizophrenia would not change the incident’s classification as terrorism.
“He was driven by hatred and racism, and that is why he killed. This is terrorism,” Nunez added.
