PARIS: Nearly 2,000 people have been convicted in France over nationwide riots sparked in late June by the fatal police shooting of a teenager during a traffic stop near Paris, Justice Minister Eric Dupond-Moretti said on Tuesday.
The minister had called for a “rapid, firm and systematic” response from magistrates to the worst urban violence in the country since 2005, with many courts holding fast-track trials for suspects.
Speaking to RTL radio, Dupond-Moretti said that out of 2,107 people tried, 1,989 had been found guilty and 1,789 had received prison sentences.
“I called on magistrates to be firm and they responded,” Dupond-Moretti added. “It was question of restoring law and order.”
The minister also said that 20 judicial facilities had been vandalised during the four nights of clashes, costing the taxpayer five million euros ($5.4 million).
The rioting began on June 27 after a police officer shot dead a 17-year-old boy with North African roots during a traffic stop west of Paris.
The riots were contained after the deployment of around 45,000 security forces on successive evenings, including elite police special forces and armoured vehicles.
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