Halloween Riots Break Out Across Europe As 86 Arrested in France Alone

Abandoned car on fire in the dark
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Riots broke out in several cities in Scotland, Germany, Austria and several cities and towns in France where 86 people were arrested and nearly 90 cars were set on fire.

In the Scottish city of Dundee, riots took place when gangs of young people blocked roads and threw fireworks, forcing drivers to turn away in the Kirkton area, with the rioting lasting several hours.

Chief Superintendent Phil Davison stated that no arrests were made but added, “I can assure our local residents that there will be an enhanced police presence in the coming days,” the BBC reports.

“I fully appreciate and understand the distress caused to local residents. Nobody should be in their house and seeing the sort of behaviour that we did last night,” he added.

Along with the fires, rioters smashed windows at a local school and one police officer was injured by a firework.

Germany also saw rioting in Hamburg where youths set garbage bins on fire and threw objects at the police, including rocks, fireworks, bottles and eggs.

Around a dozen participants in the rioting were arrested temporarily and 20 criminal proceedings were filed for breaching of the peace and explosives violations.

In neighbouring Austria, around 200 people rioted in the centre of Linz, throwing fireworks at people passing by in a pedestrian area.

Around 170 police officers responded and were attacked by rioters with glass bottles, rocks and fireworks. Rioters also attempted to attack the overhead powerlines of the local tram system which had to be turned off due to safety concerns.

At around 3 am police finished their operation in the centre of the city, checking 130 people and making nine arrests for aggressive behaviour. Two officers were reported and slightly injured as a result of the violence.

Smaller riots were also reported in the city of Klagenfurt, where rioters threatened to murder a local resident, and in Vienna where a garbage container was set on fire.

In France, the rioting was much larger in scale and took place in at least 34 different towns and cities, with police making a total of 86 arrests, keeping 55 people in detention. Some 88 vehicles were also set on fire and 13 police were reportedly injured across the country.

Paris saw 31 incidents of urban violence, which included fires, vandalism, and violence against police, with six vehicles set on fire and 36 arrests made.

In Perreux-sur-Marne rioters allegedly organised using the social media platform Snapchat and coordinated to ambush police. Masked criminals with walkie-talkies also lit fires and ambushed police and firefighters when they arrived on the scene. Police made twenty arrests following the disorder.

One of the most serious acts of violence on Monday evening took place in the commune of Cognin where a car was set on fire and directed at a local house where it hit a gas line and caused an explosion. No one was reported as injured as a result, however.

Follow Chris Tomlinson on Twitter at @TomlinsonCJ or email at ctomlinson(at)breitbart.com.

 

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