New Year: According to France’s Interior Ministry, over 500 individuals were arrested and over 1100 cars were set on fire during the country’s New Year’s Eve festivities.

The ministry said that law enforcement acted swiftly in instances of violence or vandalism in compliance with the Interior Minister’s strict directives, which called for a high level of response and mobility.This led to 505 arrests (420 in 2024) and 403 detentions (310 in 2024). Additionally, 1,262 collective defense measures were used, indicating the internal security forces’ methodical reaction, according to a ministry statement.However, the number of cars that were set on fire (both primary source and spread) has increased, with 1,173 burning as opposed to 984 the previous year,” it said.

On New Year’s Eve, millions of French people came together to celebrate the start of 2026. The ministry claimed that it had implemented sufficient security measures nationwide, including placing the prefects and internal security forces under the direction of the Interior Minister, who was fully mobilized to supervise the seamless operation of the celebrations and ensure everyone’s safety, in order to ensure that these festivities took place in a spirit of conviviality and peace.

Over a million people gathered on the Champs-Elysees in Paris to celebrate the New Year and watch the fireworks. As each year, Trocadero, Champ de Mars, and other parts of the city were likewise densely populated. The massive crowds in public areas happened in a calm manner, much as in many French city centers.

Additionally, according to the ministry, every regional prefect claimed that there was less urban crime and a less chaotic night in the neighborhoods than the year before. Specifically, there were fewer assaults on police enforcement than the previous year.According to the prefect of the western defense zone, there have been almost no occurrences in various cities this time around that saw major ones the previous year, like as Brest, Evreux, Orleans, Tours, etc. Additionally, according to the northern zone prefect, the internal security forces’ promptness allowed them to swiftly put an end to any hostile efforts against security personnel, especially in the Lille metropolitan region, Amiens, Lille, and Calais. However, more difficult circumstances were noted in Mulhouse’s Bourtwiller, Drouot, and Coteaux neighborhoods as well as in Strasbourg’s Meinau, Koenigschoffen, and Neuhof districts, necessitating a large-scale police presence,” it said.

Up until Wednesday night, the police and gendarmerie had confiscated 96,000 mortars in an effort to stop their illegal usage for celebrations and/or as homemade weapons against law enforcement.Once again this year, this usage has caused several significant injuries, including face wounds and severed hands and fingers. The Eastern region’s prefect, for instance, reported many injuries. Nine victims, ages 18 to 44, were found in the Bas-Rhin department; five wounded people, ages 13 to 46, including one child, were found in the Moselle department; and eight injured people, including two children, ages 12 and 13, were found in the Haut-Rhin department,” the statement said.