A number of French cities have decided to cancel their traditional fireworks shows on the Bastille Day holiday celebrated on July 14, although the wave of protests against police violence in France is gradually subsiding, French media reported on Friday
PARIS (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 07th July, 2023) A number of French cities have decided to cancel their traditional fireworks shows on the Bastille Day holiday celebrated on July 14, although the wave of protests against police violence in France is gradually subsiding, French media reported on Friday.
Authorities in the cities of Toulouse and Lyon imposed a ban on the transport of weapons, fireworks and other flammable substances in public places, following French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin's instructions on the prevention of illegal use of fireworks after a wave of violent unrest, the BMFTV broadcaster reported.
Moreover, fireworks will not be displayed in Nimes and Strasbourg due to a high risk of fire amid the heat and drought in the country, the France Bleu radio said.
Paris police chief Laurent Nunez said earlier on Friday that the situation in the French capital had become stable, but the police would still make every effort to keep order on the streets during the holidays.
On Thursday, government spokesman Olivier Veran said that the authorities had no intention of imposing a curfew or other restrictions on the national Bastille Day holiday amid the ongoing unrest in the country, but some changes could be made to the order of the festivities.
The number of detentions and the extent of the looting have been decreasing for several days in a row, with protests subsiding. On Tuesday, French President Emmanuel Macron said that the peak of the riots had passed. On Wednesday, the interior minister said that the situation in France was stabilizing, but that it was important to keep an eye on developments.
On June 27, a police officer shot a 17-year-old teenager during a traffic stop after he allegedly refused to obey police orders. Over the past week, France has been gripped by protests against police violence that have escalated into riots, arson and looting. According to the latest figures from the French Interior Ministry, over 12,000 cars and some 500 municipal buildings have been burned and over 1,000 shops and bank offices have been looted in the unrest. A total of about 4,000 people, many of them juveniles, have been detained.
