French protest arrests since October 17 cost-of-living demonstrations, Digi Mart USA News (France): French Justice Minister Gérald Darmanin announced on Tuesday, November 3, that 4,914 people have been placed in police custody since the first protest against the “high cost of living” on October 17. He made the announcement on the BFMTV set.
Darmanin said 329 people have been incarcerated. Of those placed in custody, 70 percent are adults and 30 percent are minors.
He said this shows the movement is made up of adults rather than a continuation of high school student protests.
According to the minister, 1,820 people were referred from police or gendarmerie custody to court to be tried by a criminal court judge. The process resulted in 404 prison sentences and 329 incarcerations.
He described the penal response as “extremely strong.”
Darmanin also described “extremely varied profiles” among those convicted, particularly by weekend of mobilization. He said 95 percent were men and 5 percent were women.
Two-thirds are between 18 and 25 years old, 70 percent are French citizens, and more than 50 percent had no prior criminal record.
