Prisons Attacked Across France Amid Government Crackdown on Drug Trafficking
A wave of attacks hit prisons across France overnight, with unknown assailants setting vehicles on fire and opening fire on a facility in Toulon. Justice Minister Gérald Darmanin linked the incidents to the government’s ongoing crackdown on drug trafficking, calling the attacks “attempts to intimidate staff.” Prisons in Marseille, Aix-En-Provence, Valence, Nîmes, Villepinte, and Nanterre were also targeted. Darmanin announced he was heading to Toulon to support prison officers, adding that France is “facing up to the problem of drug trafficking” and pushing forward measures to “massively disrupt the criminal networks.”
Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau ordered heightened security at all prisons and vowed the state’s response would be “implacable.” The prison guard union FO Justice described the attacks as “extremely serious,” sharing images of burnt-out vehicles and bullet holes at Toulon. Some of the damaged cars were found marked with the letters “DDPF,” meaning “French prisoners’ rights,” and anarchist slogans were also spotted at multiple sites, raising questions about the motives behind the assaults.
The violence comes as French lawmakers prepare to pass a new anti-drug law designed to strengthen the state’s hand against cartels, including creating a national organized crime prosecutor’s office. Authorities say France has been hit by a “white tsunami” of cocaine, with gangs expanding beyond cities like Marseille and triggering a surge in violence that has unsettled smaller towns and reshaped the political conversation around crime.
