The National Front party, meanwhile, made an immediate link between the new riots and ‘mass immigration’ which, a spokesman said, had caused ‘insecurity’ in the country.
Riots: At least 16 police officers were seriously injured during the disturbances on council estates in the city of Amiens in northern France overnight
Police were shot at and buildings destroyed as rioting broke out in two major French cities, presenting the first big test of newly-elected president Francois Hollande’s leadership.
Disaffected youths from north African immigrant estates went on the rampage in the northern cathedral city of Amiens on Monday, setting fire to property and seriously injuring several police officers.
And yesterday there were outbreaks of trouble in the south-western city of Toulouse as the spectre of widespread urban disturbances returned to haunt France.
Mr Hollande broke off from his holiday on the Riviera to pledge that the government ‘will mobilise everything it can to fight this violence’.
He added: ‘Security is not only a priority for us, it is an obligation.’
Trouble first broke out in the Fasset district of Amiens when a driver was stopped by police for a routine check. Youths taunted the officers before throwing missiles at them.
The situation was made worse by the presence of a crowd gathered to mourn a 20-year-old man who was killed in a motorcycle accident last Thursday.
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