French citiesimpose curfews on children after drug violence
Announcing the curfew – in force between 21:00 and 06:00 – mayor Jean-Paul Fournier said the situation had become "untenable" and that drug traffickers had created a "climate of fear and terror".Deputy mayor Richard Schieven said the curfew would protect minors not involved in the drug trade "but also those aged 12 or 13 who are exploited by drug traffickers".Béziers, 120km (75 miles) to the south-west, has had a curfew in place for children under 13 between 23:00 and 06:00 since last year and expanded it to under 15s in certain areas last March. "No 10-year-old out on the street at 02:00 is up to anything but mischief," said mayor Robert Ménard in 2024.Despite the measures, Béziers continues to be plagued by violence. At the weekend balaclava-clad youths lured police and then attacked them with fireworks, local media reported.A similar incident occurred in Limoges in southwestern France. The city has also imposed curfew measures for under 13s for the duration of the summer holidays – but following violence involving 100 people at the weekend Mayor Émile Roger Lombertie said the results of the measures were "not good"."We had disturbances by young people, nobody managed to intercept and arrest them, and the curfew was useless," Lombertie said, adding that more police was needed to enforce the measures.Two years ago the there was outrage in Nimes when a 10-year-old boy was killed by a bullet in the Pissevin area of the city.The latest developments confirm a growing trend that has seen drug violence expand beyond Marseille – the long-time epicentre of gang wars in France.According to the interior ministry, 110 people died in France and more than 300 others were wounded in drug-related violence in 2024.Interior Minister Gérard Darmanin and Justice Minister Bruno Retailleau have long insisted on the need to fight the scourge of the drugs trade.Earlier this year they steered a bill through parliament which resulted in two maximum-security jails for drug barons, a new, dedicated branch of the prosecutors' office, extra powers for investigators, and a special, protected status for informers.Darmanin said on Tuesday that "the first 17 drug-traffickers, among them the most dangerous in our country", were transferred to a high-security jail at Vendin-le-Vieil in northern France.A wave of arson and gun attacks at French prisons in the spring was widely pinned on drugs gangs hitting back at the government's crackdown.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Independent
13 minutes ago
- The Independent
Teenager with ‘unhealthy interest' in knives guilty of 18-year-old's murder
A balaclava-clad teenager who had an 'unhealthy interest' in knives, and grinned before fatally stabbing an 18-year-old man through the heart with a Rambo-style knife, has been found guilty of murder. Charles Hartle, who was 17 at the time, carried out the 'utterly pointless killing' when he attacked Noah Smedley on a dark street in Ilkeston, Derbyshire, on the evening of December 28 last year, with the knife he kept hidden in his tracksuit bottoms. Hartle, of Station Road, Stanley, was found guilty of murdering Mr Smedley on Friday, after a two-week trial at Derby Crown Court, Derbyshire Police said. Prosecution counsel Adrian Langdale KC said that as Hartle moved towards Mr Smedley, he 'grinned or smiled before deliberately aiming for and stabbing him in the chest'. The court was told that Hartle and his friends had arranged to meet Mr Smedley, who arrived at the scene on an electric scooter and sold them cannabis. Mr Langdale said the defendant regularly carried a Rambo-style knife for 'the kudos and bravado' and to show others he was a 'big man'. Derbyshire Police said Hartle, who liked to go by the nickname Lil Cee, went to meet his girlfriend at a house party after stabbing Mr Smedley in the heart. Witnesses at the party reportedly saw him confess to her what he had done and produce the knife, which has never been recovered. Hartle then travelled to Derby city centre to distance himself from the scene, where Mr Smedley had been found by members of the public at about 8.20pm. He was pronounced dead just before 9pm. In the hours after the murder, Hartle disposed of his clothing, the knife, and his phone, before eventually handing himself in at Ilkeston police station. In a prepared statement given to police, Hartle said he accepted inflicting the injury on Mr Smedley but felt he had acted in self-defence. He said: 'There is a history to this, and Noah and I did not get on. He has, in the past, made numerous threats to me and made disparaging comments. He has threatened me with violence. 'I was petrified that he was about to lunge at me. In that split second, I instinctively lashed out with the knife I had, in self-defence.' Detective Constable Emma Barnes-Marriott, of Derbyshire Police, said: 'Noah was an unarmed teenager, who was simply meeting with friends on the night Charles Hartle decided to end his life. 'Noah did not threaten Hartle and showed nothing but friendliness towards him that evening, and yet he was brutally murdered. 'Charles Hartle is a callous and calculating young man, who has shown no recognition or remorse for taking another teenager's life. 'He carried a knife with the intention to use it, over what appears to be a petty disagreement that only he was aware of, and a sense of bravado. 'I'd like to thank Noah's family for their support during our investigation and the trial. 'No family should have to go through the ordeal of losing a loved one, especially at such a young age, and to have to relive their last moments at trial is an additional blow that Hartle could have spared them from. 'Instead, despite overwhelming evidence, he remained silent and refused to take responsibility for Noah's murder. 'I know that nothing will bring Noah back but hope that today's verdict has provided his family with some comfort that justice has been done.' Hartle will be sentenced at Derby Crown Court on August 22.
Daily Mail
14 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Huge catfight erupts along 'America's most dangerous subway line' in Chicago where even cops fear to tread
A huge catfight erupted on Chicago 's Red Line subway, following a spat of horrific incidents on the rail line now branded one of the country's most dangerous. Footage emerged online earlier this week showing a group of women brawling on the notorious line on June 22 near the 47th Street Station in the Democrat led city. In the horrifying clip, fellow passengers can be seen running away from the violence, as some can be heard calling out: 'No!', and 'break it up'. A man can be seen in the middle of the brawl as the women throw punches at each other, at one point he kicks one of the women away. He appears to try and split it up, other passengers can be seen filming and goading on those involved. Chicago PD couldn't find any logs of the brawl. Officers did say that on the same day and on the same train a 65-year-old man was involved in a fight with three unknown males, he was rushed to hospital. The new footage comes only two weeks after a Chicago police officer was attacking by subway riders while patrolling a station, also on the Red Line. The unidentified officer was standing on the 69th subway station, also on the Red Line, when three riders screamed at him before the confrontation turned violent. One of the men swung at the officer, who managed to duck, but was knocked off his feet after taking a punch to the ribcage. He was able to get up, but was immediately surrounded by the three men who swung at him multiple times. The officer was hit again and was struck so hard he fell against the stopped Red Line subway before hitting the concrete. One of the officers managed to slip to safety while his comrades kept his attackers at bay until they walked away. Other videos also emerged showed K9 units and their officers being attacked on the platform. Just last week cops in the city issued a warning for those traveling on the Red Line after an armed robbery on a platform in the city's North Side. It happened on an escalator on July 12 just before midday inside the CTA Red Line-Clybourn Station. They released images of four people wanted in connection with the robbery, who they said hit a man in the face and demanded his wallet. One of the suspects is said to have pulled out a gun when the victim attempted to recover his wallet. On July 2nd, a shooting on the Red Line during in the early hours of the morning left a man critically injured. Police said a 29-year-old man got into a fight with another passenger when they pulled a gun and shot him in the thigh and buttocks. The suspected shooter fled the scene on another train, Chicago Police confirmed on Friday that no suspect has been taken into custody and they are still investigating. In early May, police said they were looking for 14 suspects who allegedly beat and robbed a couple on the line. Cops said the mob of 14, a mixture of young men and women, pulled a knife on them and used pepper spray during the incident. Other clips have also emerged on social media showing frequent brawls on trains and platforms on the Red Line. Police figures show that crime is up 42 percent over a four-year period in the city, although it is down 14 percent compared to 2024 between January and June. A study by the Illinois Policy found that the Green Line was the worst in the city, with the Red Line closely following in second place. Police data said that those riding the Red Line were the second-most likely to be a victim of a crime, with 1.7 out of every 100,000 rides ending in a crime. Citywide, about 1.3 out of every 100,000 rides starting at a CTA station or platform ended in a crime. The most common crime was battery. Second was deceptive practices, such as bait-and-switch schemes or counterfeiting.
BBC News
14 minutes ago
- BBC News
Major Jonathan Creak jailed for attempted murder of ex-wife
A former Army major who tried to kill his ex-wife by slashing her with a blade has been jailed for 25 Creak was discovered with serious wounds to her neck, breast and torso, at Hardwick, Norfolk, on 6 July last Creak, 51, of Woodstock, Oxfordshire, had previously admitted causing grievous bodily harm and possession of a knife in a public place and in April was found guilty of attempted Creak at Norwich Crown Court, Judge Katharine Moore said: "That behaviour is, frankly, terrifying." Creak was found guilty of attempted murder after the court heard he drove more than 100 miles (160km) from his home to attack Ms court had been told he had followed her as she went to muck out a friend's heard Creak, of Westland Way, produced a Stanley knife from his pocket and his victim said she heard him shouting that she needed to die. Claire Matthews, prosecuting, said Creak was "familiar with the weapon and its capabilities". She said "the violence was so carefully planned... and the long-lasting harm so great," that there was an ongoing risk to the public. In mitigation, defence lawyer Daniel Higgins said Creak had been in work clothes that he wore while renovating his house, and there was no judge acknowledged that Creak "served [his] country", had "put others before himself" and "does demonstrate remorse". "He is someone that is keen to rehabilitate," she she described him as "dangerous" and said he was "driven by anger and resentment".She said he continued "to pose a high threat to Rhiannon" and posed "a risk to members of the public, especially women". His sentence will include an additional four years on licence, alongside a lifetime restraining order. Ms Creak has called for more support for people who face "aggressive" told the BBC how Creak had laughed as he chased her and started "slashing" at her injuries included nerve damage, meaning she cannot fully use her right arm."I have PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) and horrible flashbacks and terrible nightmares, and I haven't really slept more than a few hours a day since," she was married to Creak for 10 years, and described their relationship as "confusing"."There were some very lovely moments, but also some really quite aggressive times," she couple split up in 2018, but did not divorce until 2022. Ms Creak said that during the relationship, Creak never physically attacked her, but would react angrily to "benign incidents.""Small actions would turn into quite aggressive moments. Everything just felt very disproportional," she said. Det Insp Duncan Woodhams said: "This has been a terrifying ordeal for Rhiannon and her family. It has had a profound impact on her physical and psychological wellbeing."Nothing will ever erase the experience for Rhiannon, but we hope that the sentence today ensures her perpetrator will have to serve some justice for his unthinkable actions." If you are affected by any of the issues in this story, details of help and support are available at BBC Action Line Follow Norfolk news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
