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France Deploys 90,000 Officers for New Year’s Eve, Pledges Immediate Arrests

Critics warn prison overcrowding could blunt the government’s zero‑tolerance message.

Overview

  • Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said no disorder would be tolerated and promised systematic arrests with immediate police intervention if trouble erupts.
  • About 90,000 police and gendarmes are mobilized nationwide, including roughly 10,000 assigned to Paris and its inner suburbs.
  • A Justice Ministry circular from Gérald Darmanin urges prosecutors to seek prison terms for violence against police and for offenses targeting women and children.
  • Police spokesperson Agathe Foucault emphasized reactivity and firmness alongside prevention through road checks, bag searches, and access controls, citing crowd-movement risks and a persistent terrorist threat.
  • Commentator Raphaël Stanville questioned the hardline rhetoric, noting full prisons and likely reliance on alternative sentences, while last year’s New Year’s Eve saw 984 vehicles burned and 420 arrests.