Particle.news
Download on the App Store

New Year 2026: Paris Draws Huge Crowds as Police Detain 125 and Strasbourg Sees Dozens of Car Fires

Officials reported roughly 100 arrests nationwide, with a civic projection on the Arc de Triomphe spotlighting a new road‑homicide law.

Overview

  • Hundreds of thousands gathered on the Champs-Élysées for fireworks, under a reinforced security plan that deployed about 10,000 officers in Paris and 90,000 nationwide.
  • Paris prosecutors said 125 people were placed in custody, including for violent offenses and group participation to commit violence, and reported no vehicles or street furniture burned in the capital.
  • Early national tallies cited around 100 arrests across France, with at least 80 vehicles set alight in Strasbourg and mortar attacks on police reported in cities including Reims and Lens.
  • The Association Antoine Alléno projected “2036” on the Arc de Triomphe at 23:30 to publicize the new ‘homicide routier’ offense, which can carry a maximum 10‑year prison sentence.
  • Global celebrations blended security and remembrance, as Sydney’s show proceeded under more than 2,500 police with a minute of silence for the Bondi victims, and Hong Kong canceled its Victoria Harbour fireworks to honor November fire fatalities.