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Mob of 40 attacks police station in Paris suburb

Mob of 40 attacks police station in Paris suburb

Paris police station attack

A police station in suburban Paris came under attack by about 40 unidentified people on Saturday night (local time). The mob was armed with metal bars and it was using fireworks as mortars. People wanted to enter the police station but were not able to do so.

"Violent attack last night on the police station of Champigny with mortar shots and various projectiles. No police officer was injured," the Paris police headquarters said on Twitter.

The police station is located in Champigny-Sur-Marne, about 15 km southeast of central Paris.

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The police posted a video of the attack. The video showed a barrage of fireworks going off in the direction of the police station.

"It was an organised attack of about 40 people who wanted to do battle," Champigny Mayor Laurent Jeanne told BFM. "For a few days it has been tense with people who have a certain willingness to do battle with the police. It`s anti-police sentiment. We weren`t far off from a disaster."

There were no arrests.

A spate of public safety incidents across France since the end of the COVID-19 lockdown in mid-May has put the government on heightened alert for increases in crime amid the economic fallout from the coronavirus pandemic.

President Emmanuel Macron, who faces a presidential election in less than two years, has been criticised by opponents over crime and public safety since he took power in 2017 and opinion polls show that the public see his government as weakest on those issues.

(With Reuters inputs)