Latest news with #GeraldDarmanin
Time of India
6 hours ago
- Politics
- Time of India
France minister wants tougher sentences for 'violence' against police
PARIS: French Justice Minister Gerald Darmanin said on Tuesday he wanted tougher punishments for anyone found guilty of "violence" against law enforcement officers, after arrests this weekend during football celebrations. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Police detained hundreds of people during festivities following Paris Saint-Germain's football Champions League win in Germany on Saturday and their triumphant return home the following day. The PSG thrashed Inter Milan by a record 5-0 to win the biggest prize in European club football for the first time. The victory sparked delirious celebrations in France but was also marred by some violence. Police arrested 563 people on Saturday night, the interior ministry said, after more than 200 cars were torched and police clashed with youths. In the southwest town of Dax, a 17-year-old boy died after being stabbed in the chest. A 23-year-old man riding a scooter in central Paris also died after a vehicle hit him. Authorities detained 79 others on Sunday night, including for allegedly firing fireworks at security forces, trying to vandalise shops and blocking traffic. Some of these appeared in court on Monday, with three hearings resulting in suspended sentences of two to eight months, along with a 500-euro ($570) fine, the Paris prosecutor's office said. Around 20 more suspects were set to be tried on Tuesday. Darmanin, who has expressed interest in standing in the 2027 presidential election, argued the first court sentences were not tough enough. "Some of the sentences for violence -- including against law enforcement officers and for destruction of property -- are not proportional to the level of violence our country is experiencing," the former interior minister said. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now "The law needs to radically change," he added. Darmanin called for an end to obligatory adjustments for jail terms of fewer than six months, which for example allow detainees to serve time at home with an electronic bracelet. He called for an end to suspended sentences in such cases and a law to set up a "systematic minimum sentence" for those found guilty. He suggested "a minimum of three months in jail for any assault against a representative of the state or a very steep fine for any destruction". Receiving the triumphant team at the Elysee palace on Sunday, President Emmanuel Macron condemned what he called "unacceptable" violence during the festivities. Many of the stars of PSG, one of the youngest in the competition, are drawn from the huge football talent pool in the Paris suburbs. A total of 11.5 million people tuned in across France to watch the match.
The Sun
6 hours ago
- Politics
- The Sun
France minister wants tougher sentences for ‘violence' against cops
FRENCH Justice Minister Gerald Darmanin said on Tuesday he wanted tougher punishments for anyone found guilty of 'violence' against law enforcement officers, after arrests this weekend during football celebrations. Police detained hundreds of people during festivities following Paris Saint-Germain's football Champions League win in Germany on Saturday and their triumphant return home the following day. The PSG thrashed Inter Milan by a record 5-0 to win the biggest prize in European club football for the first time. The victory sparked delirious celebrations in France but was also marred by some violence. Police arrested 563 people on Saturday night, the interior ministry said, after more than 200 cars were torched and police clashed with youths. In the southwest town of Dax, a 17-year-old boy died after being stabbed in the chest. A 23-year-old man riding a scooter in central Paris also died after a vehicle hit him. Authorities detained 79 others on Sunday night, including for allegedly firing fireworks at security forces, trying to vandalise shops and blocking traffic. Some of these appeared in court on Monday, with three hearings resulting in suspended sentences of two to eight months, along with a 500-euro ($570) fine, the Paris prosecutor's office said. Around 20 more suspects were set to be tried on Tuesday. Darmanin, who has expressed interest in standing in the 2027 presidential election, argued the first court sentences were not tough enough. 'Some of the sentences for violence -- including against law enforcement officers and for destruction of property -- are not proportional to the level of violence our country is experiencing,' the former interior minister said. 'The law needs to radically change,' he added. Darmanin called for an end to obligatory adjustments for jail terms of fewer than six months, which for example allow detainees to serve time at home with an electronic bracelet. He called for an end to suspended sentences in such cases and a law to set up a 'systematic minimum sentence' for those found guilty. He suggested 'a minimum of three months in jail for any assault against a representative of the state or a very steep fine for any destruction'. Receiving the triumphant team at the Elysee palace on Sunday, President Emmanuel Macron condemned what he called 'unacceptable' violence during the festivities. Many of the stars of PSG, one of the youngest in the competition, are drawn from the huge football talent pool in the Paris suburbs. A total of 11.5 million people tuned in across France to watch the match.
The Sun
6 hours ago
- Politics
- The Sun
France minister wants tougher sentences for ‘violence' against police
FRENCH Justice Minister Gerald Darmanin said on Tuesday he wanted tougher punishments for anyone found guilty of 'violence' against law enforcement officers, after arrests this weekend during football celebrations. Police detained hundreds of people during festivities following Paris Saint-Germain's football Champions League win in Germany on Saturday and their triumphant return home the following day. The PSG thrashed Inter Milan by a record 5-0 to win the biggest prize in European club football for the first time. The victory sparked delirious celebrations in France but was also marred by some violence. Police arrested 563 people on Saturday night, the interior ministry said, after more than 200 cars were torched and police clashed with youths. In the southwest town of Dax, a 17-year-old boy died after being stabbed in the chest. A 23-year-old man riding a scooter in central Paris also died after a vehicle hit him. Authorities detained 79 others on Sunday night, including for allegedly firing fireworks at security forces, trying to vandalise shops and blocking traffic. Some of these appeared in court on Monday, with three hearings resulting in suspended sentences of two to eight months, along with a 500-euro ($570) fine, the Paris prosecutor's office said. Around 20 more suspects were set to be tried on Tuesday. Darmanin, who has expressed interest in standing in the 2027 presidential election, argued the first court sentences were not tough enough. 'Some of the sentences for violence -- including against law enforcement officers and for destruction of property -- are not proportional to the level of violence our country is experiencing,' the former interior minister said. 'The law needs to radically change,' he added. Darmanin called for an end to obligatory adjustments for jail terms of fewer than six months, which for example allow detainees to serve time at home with an electronic bracelet. He called for an end to suspended sentences in such cases and a law to set up a 'systematic minimum sentence' for those found guilty. He suggested 'a minimum of three months in jail for any assault against a representative of the state or a very steep fine for any destruction'. Receiving the triumphant team at the Elysee palace on Sunday, President Emmanuel Macron condemned what he called 'unacceptable' violence during the festivities. Many of the stars of PSG, one of the youngest in the competition, are drawn from the huge football talent pool in the Paris suburbs. A total of 11.5 million people tuned in across France to watch the match.
Local France
3 days ago
- Politics
- Local France
France's prison population reaches all-time high
Over the past year, France's prison population grew by 6,000 inmates, taking the occupancy rate to 133.7 percent. The record overcrowding has even seen 23 out of France's 186 detention facilities operating at more than twice their capacity. Justice Minister Gerald Darmanin, who has called the overcrowding crisis "unacceptable", has suggested building new facilities to accommodate the growing prison population. The hardline minister announced in mid-May a plan to build a high-security prison in French Guiana -- an overseas territory situated north of Brazil -- for the most "dangerous" criminals, including drug kingpins. Prison overcrowding is "bad for absolutely everyone," said Darmanin in late April, citing the "appalling conditions" for prisoners and "the insecurity and violence" faced by prison officers. A series of coordinated attacks on French prisons in April saw assailants torching cars, spraying the entrance of one prison with automatic gunfire, and leaving mysterious inscriptions. The assaults embarrassed the right-leaning government, whose tough-talking ministers -- Darmanin and Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau -- have vowed to step up the fight against narcotics. Advertisement And in late April, lawmakers approved a major new bill to combat drug-related crime, with some of France's most dangerous drug traffickers facing detention in high-security prison units in the coming months. France ranks among the worst countries in Europe for prison overcrowding, placing third behind Cyprus and Romania, according to a Council of Europe study published in June 2024.
Local Sweden
3 days ago
- Politics
- Local Sweden
France's prison population reaches all-time high
France's prison population hit a record high on May 1, with 83,681 inmates held in facilities that have a capacity of just 62,570, justice ministry data showed on Saturday. Advertisement Over the past year, France's prison population grew by 6,000 inmates, taking the occupancy rate to 133.7 percent. The record overcrowding has even seen 23 out of France's 186 detention facilities operating at more than twice their capacity. Justice Minister Gerald Darmanin, who has called the overcrowding crisis "unacceptable", has suggested building new facilities to accommodate the growing prison population. The hardline minister announced in mid-May a plan to build a high-security prison in French Guiana -- an overseas territory situated north of Brazil -- for the most "dangerous" criminals, including drug kingpins. Prison overcrowding is "bad for absolutely everyone," said Darmanin in late April, citing the "appalling conditions" for prisoners and "the insecurity and violence" faced by prison officers. A series of coordinated attacks on French prisons in April saw assailants torching cars, spraying the entrance of one prison with automatic gunfire, and leaving mysterious inscriptions. The assaults embarrassed the right-leaning government, whose tough-talking ministers -- Darmanin and Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau -- have vowed to step up the fight against narcotics. Advertisement And in late April, lawmakers approved a major new bill to combat drug-related crime, with some of France's most dangerous drug traffickers facing detention in high-security prison units in the coming months. France ranks among the worst countries in Europe for prison overcrowding, placing third behind Cyprus and Romania, according to a Council of Europe study published in June 2024.
