More than 700 people have been sentenced to prison over riots in France late last month, the country’s justice minister, Eric Dupond-Moretti, said Wednesday, lauding the “firm” response of magistrates.
In total, 1,278 verdicts have been handed down, with over 95 percent of defendants convicted on a range of charges from vandalism to attacking police officers.
Six hundred people have already been jailed.
“It was extremely important to have a response that was firm and systematic,” Dupond-Moretti told RTL radio. “It was essential that we reestablish national order.
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The most intense urban violence in France since 2005 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, in an incident recorded by a passerby.
The riots were contained after four nights of serious clashes thanks to the deployment of around 45,000 security forces, including elite police special forces and armoured vehicles.
READ ALSO: Teen’s Killing: France Arrest Hundreds On Fifth Night Of Protests After Victim’s Burial
Dupond-Moretti had led calls for courts to hand down harsh sentences as a deterrent, with some staying open over the weekend of the clashes to handle a backlog of cases.
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