A series of riots took place in July 2009 in
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
. On
Bastille Day
Bastille Day is the common name given in English-speaking countries to the national day of France, which is celebrated on 14 July each year. In French, it is formally called the (; "French National Celebration"); legally it is known as (; "t ...
in the commune of
Montreuil, an eastern suburb area of
Paris
Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. Si ...
, French youths set fire to 317 cars. Thirteen police officers were injured. On July 9, many youths started a protest in
Firminy
Firminy (; oc, Frominiu) is a commune in the Loire department in central France.
It lies on the river Ondaine, 13 km southwest of Saint-Étienne by rail.
History
The ancient name of the town was ''Firminiaco'' or ''Firminiacus'' (lit. " ...
near
Saint-Étienne
Saint-Étienne (; frp, Sant-Etiève; oc, Sant Estève, ) is a city and the prefecture of the Loire department in eastern-central France, in the Massif Central, southwest of Lyon in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region.
Saint-Étienne is the ...
, after the death of a young Algerian man, Mohamed Benmouna, in police custody.
Benmouna's parents rejected the official account of suicide. Riots on Bastille day are a frequent occurrence in France as the disaffected protest high unemployment rates and failed integration policies for minorities.
More than 240 people had been arrested near Paris.
The injured officers suffered mainly from hearing difficulties after having been targeted by youths armed with fireworks and small-scale home-made explosives.
France unrest before Bastille Day
BBC News Online. July 14, 2009.
See also
*2013 Trappes riots
Riots broke out in Trappes, a suburb (''banlieue'') of Paris, France, on 19 July 2013 after the police arrested a man who assaulted a police officer, who tried to check the identity of his wife wearing a Muslim veil on 18 July 2013.
Background ...
* 2013 Stockholm riots
*2011 England riots
The 2011 England riots, more widely known as the London riots, were a series of riots between 6 and 11 August 2011. Thousands of people rioted in cities and towns across England, which saw looting, arson, as well as mass deployment of police an ...
*2010 Rinkeby riots
On June 8 and June 9, 2010, youth riots broke out in Rinkeby, a suburb dominated by Immigration to Sweden, Muslim immigrant residents, in northern Stockholm, Sweden. Up to 100 Muslim youths threw bricks, set fires and attacked the local police st ...
*2007 Villiers-le-Bel riots
Riots in the Val-d'Oise department in France began on 26 November 2007, following the deaths of two teenagers (Moushin S., 15, and Larami S., 16), whose motorcycle collided with a police vehicle. The circumstances recalled those that precipitate ...
*2006 Brussels riots
Between 23 and 29 September 2006, youths of mainly immigrant descent rioted in Brussels, causing the destruction of several shop windows and the burning of ten cars and part of a hospital. The immediate cause of the riots was anger at the unexpla ...
*2005 French riots
The 2005 French riots (french: Émeutes de 2005 dans les Banlieues Françaises), was a three-week period of riots in the suburbs of Paris and other French cities, in October and November 2005. These riots involved youth in violent attacks, and t ...
* 2001 England riots
References
Riots
A riot is a form of civil disorder commonly characterized by a group lashing out in a violent public disturbance against authority, property, or people.
Riots typically involve destruction of property, public or private. The property targeted ...
French
French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to France
** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents
** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...
Riots
A riot is a form of civil disorder commonly characterized by a group lashing out in a violent public disturbance against authority, property, or people.
Riots typically involve destruction of property, public or private. The property targeted ...
Contemporary French history
Riots and civil disorder in France
Bastille Day
{{France-hist-stub