Ambush, injured police officer, apartment set on fire: what do we know about the violence in Béziers this weekend?

Both the police and the prosecution are talking about a trap set for the police on the night of Saturday to Sunday in the impoverished district of Devèze.

The troublemakers "contacted the fire brigade themselves about a rubbish bin fire (and) there were around fifty of them, some of them on the roofs of buildings," when they arrived, reports Commissioner Eric Agniel.

The firefighters then contacted the police, prompting the arrival of several members of the anti-crime squad who found themselves "trapped by individuals," he continued. What he describes as a "riot" was finally stopped following the fire in an apartment, hit by a fireworks mortar during the violence. No arrests have been made at this stage.

The fire completely destroyed the 130 m² apartment where a woman lived with her three adult children, killing the cat. A total of ten occupants of the building were evacuated.

"The mortar set the apartment ablaze, requiring the rescue of a person trapped on the fourth floor and others sheltering on the roof using a ladder. Emergency services had to intervene in a tense situation, under the protection of internal security forces," said the Hérault firefighters.

On Facebook, the municipality, led by Robert Ménard, formerly close to far-right figures Marine Le Pen and Eric Zemmour, announced that it had rehoused the stricken family, describing the violence as "unacceptable."

A police officer was slightly injured in the calf, also by a mortar shot, said Commissioner Agniel.

According to the Béziers public prosecutor, Raphaël Balland, "these acts are likely to be classified as violence with a weapon, in the context of an ambush, and against a person in a position of public authority, (and) willful destruction by fire of the property of others, and carry a 10-year prison sentence for the perpetrators."

An attack linked to arrests?

According to the magistrate, these events "are probably linked to a series of arrests of small-time dealers and the seizure of a large quantity of narcotics in recent days in this area."

A minor suspected of selling drugs was brought before the juvenile court on Saturday, a second was due to appear on Sunday and an adult will be brought before the court on Monday.

For his part, the Prefect of Hérault announced the reinforcement of a new generation CRS unit for the night of Sunday to Monday in Devèze.

A city plagued by drug trafficking

In recent years, medium-sized towns such as Béziers and Nîmes in the neighbouring department of Gard have been caught up in drug trafficking, with a level of violence previously reserved for Marseille, the epicentre of drug trafficking in the south of France.

In Nîmes, following a series of serious criminal acts , the prefect also announced police reinforcements and the town hall has just decided on a 15-day curfew starting Monday for those under 16 from 9 p.m.