Fifteen people launched projectiles, pyrotechnic devices and cobblestones at the police station south of Rouen, insulting officials who came to defend the building.
The attack was impressive, reported French daily Le Figaro. On the night of Thursday to Friday, the Val-de-Reuil-Louviers police station (Eure), south of Rouen, was stormed by a gang of Arab youths.
Around two o’clock in the morning, about fifteen hooded individuals attacked the establishment by launching projectiles, also firing mortars, according to police reports, consulted by the daily.
On the video surveillance images that Le Figaro was able to consult exclusively, one sees two guards trying to contain the attackers using shields. Only wearing shirts and no protective gear, the officials do not seem at all prepared for such an assault. Smoke bombs, “pyrotechnic elements” of all colours and paving stones are thrown at the police.
During the assault, several of them shouted “Allah Akbar”, while others insulted the police.
The individuals seem determined to enter the police station. Their attacks lasted for about half an hour, both against the officials and the building. The officers responded with tear gas, before reinforcement of the Anti-Crime Brigade (BAC) and the Departmental Directorate of Public Security (DDSP) arrived.
Around 2:30 in the morning calm finally returned. No agent was injured, but some material damage was noted: three windows were hit and a vehicle was damaged.
An investigation was opened on the counts of “deliberate damage to public utility property during a riot” and “willful violence against any person holding public authority with weapons”.
A complementary police report, consulted by Le Figaro, indicates that several officials heard cries of “Allah Akbar” during the assault. “Strip the French fuckers” and “Come out we are going to burn you”, chanted the suspects before fleeing, the same document noted. On the spot, the remains of 115 projectiles were found.
The attack sparked a wave of anger in the profession. In a statement released on Friday, the Alliance police union denounced an assault of “incredible violence”.
Evoking “pressured police officers, on the verge of a break-down”, the union expressed concern about the “terrible” situation of this police station in Eure, lacking staff and resources. According to a union source, contacted by Le Figaro, the same building had been the target of a similar offensive in July 2018.
The town hall on Saturday, June 29 denounced the “exaggerations”, “rumors” and “fake news” reported after this attack. “If a situation seems explosive, it is the social situation” of the police station, said the mayor who speaks of an incident “amplified and used to testify to the great misery of the police of one of the four major cities of the Eure”.
The city evoked “a limited incident and, unfortunately, it has become commonplace when the heat of the summer leads young people to remain in the street,” according to a statement from Socialist party Mayor Marc-Antoine Jamet.