By: V4 Agency
There has been a sharp rise in the number of crimes and violent attacks committed by minors of late. In a matter of two weeks, One school witnessed two attacks resulting in serious injuries, and parents are protesting because they believe the school is no longer safe for their children.
France has experienced a drastic rise in the number of crimes and violent attacks committed by minors, resulting in death in one of the recent incidents.
On Sunday night, 13 June, the suburbs of Sotteville-les-Rouen – near the northern city of Rouen in Normandie – witnessed a clash between two rival gangs. A 16-year-old boy who was stabbed later died in his injuries. The arriving officers found weapons around the boy’s body on the ground and opened an investigation into what they believe was a case of intentional murder.
According to the journalist who broke the story, the teenage boy was attacked by a number of youngsters wearing hoodies, and so far authorities have made one arrest.
According to information obtained by Le Parisien, the members of one gang hail from Sotteville-les-Rouen, while the youngsters belonging to the other live in the nearby commune of Petit-Quevilly, just like the 16-year-old victim.
The mayors of Rouen, Petit-Quevilly és Sotteville-les-Rouen have issued a statement to the press, in which they stress that
they’ve been requesting reinforcements for the local police for months, but no help has arrived so far.
They say they still work with the same law enforcement headcount, even though the interior minister had pledged to increase the number of officers in April 2019. According to the ministry’s announcement they should have increased the local police workforce by 36 officers, a promise that has not materialised.
The commune of Noisiel, in the eastern suburbs of Paris, witnessed another violent clash between rival gangs of late. One minor was injured. The 14-year-old boy was rushed to hospital in a serious, life-threatening condition after he sustained a number of injuries in a brawl near the RER station. According to Actu.17, police found no weapons on the scene and the cause of the brutal attack is still unclear. Citing the opinion of a local resident, press reports suggest that the altercation may have come on the back of a school incident last week, which took place in the victim’s school. Police have made no arrests so far, but officers are examining the extensive CCTV footage in a bid to try and identify the assailants.
Attacks and atrocities by students have become more frequent in French schools. In Val-de-Marne department, in the vicinity of Paris, parents have organised a protest because they feel their kids are no longer safe in the local schools, which recently saw two serious attacks resulting in injuries, Le Parisien writes.
In light of the two violent incidents of the past two weeks, the enraged parents argue that it’s the schools’ responsibility to introduce adequate security measures to protect the students’ mental and physical well-being.
At the end of May there was a brawl in the main lobby and someone poured hydroalcoholic gel into the eyes of a fifth grader, destroying 80 per cent of his cornea. His mom says school staff have failed to provide timely medical assistance, which is why her son had suffered such a serious injury.
Apparently, the school attack causing grievous bodily harm was not an isolated incident. Two weeks before the hydroalcoholic gel attack a student was nearly trampled to death during a stampede at the entrance. According to the boy’s mother, her son has been afraid to walk through the school gate ever since and suffers from acute levels of agoraphobia.