Brest: clashes between rioters and police during demonstration, major damage
On 17 October, a peaceful demonstration of 10,000 people in Brest turned into clashes. Rioters hurled paving stones and fireworks at police for three hours near the central police station.
Clashes and projectiles in Brest
According to Google News FR — Crime (fr), a large-scale demonstration took place on Saturday, 17 October in Brest. Bringing together at least 10,000 participants at Place de la Liberté, the march took Rue de Siam before turning into clashes shortly before 17:00. Rioters, numbering approximately 500 according to the Finistère Prefect's Office, gathered near the central police station on Rue Colbert.
For three hours, police forces came under a barrage of projectiles. The assailants hurled paving stones, removed from the ground at the foot of the Monument to the Dead, as well as fireworks mortars in the direction of officers positioned on Rue Colbert and Rue Frédéric Le Guyader. Caught between three separate locations, the officers responded with tear-gas grenades to contain the assailants, without fully clearing the area.
Significant damage and outcome
The damage caused to the surrounding area was considerable. Shops — notably a shoe shop — and businesses (a dental practice, a notary's office) had their shop windows smashed. Street furniture and police vehicles, struck by projectiles, were also damaged. Brest's mayor, Stéphane Roudaut, estimated that the cost of the damage would "likely amount to millions of euros".
Facing the situation, the Finistère Prefect's Office mobilised external reinforcements to disperse the rioter groups and secure the area. The prefect strongly condemned the violence committed against police forces, the damage, looting and theft, reminding that the freedom to demonstrate must be exercised in accordance with the law.
Background of previous tensions
The 17 October clashes are part of a context of tensions. About ten days earlier, on 7 October, clashes had broken out around the Kérichen school complex in Brest. During this incident, six police officers and a secondary school headmistress were injured, while two other officers were struck by projectiles.
Source: Google News FR — Crime (fr)