Even the nationwide lockdown seems insufficient to deter criminals in France s no-go zones from trapping and attacking police officers, and the migrants ghettos around Paris are experiencing an growing number of violent incidents.

There have been several cases of late when officers were unable to enforce curfew restrictions in migrant neighbourhoods. The latest incident took place in the district of Le Francs-Moisins of Saint-Denis, a commune in the northern suburbs of Paris.

A twenty-strong migrant gang employed their usual tactic to trap the arriving officers. They set garbage pails on fire, surrounded the police vehicle and attacked the officers. This was a popular method even before the coronavirus pandemic and the introduction of the nationwide curfew, and incidents like this were a regular occurrence last autumn. 

A local resident recorded the attackers as they surrounded the police vehicle and hurled fireworks on it. The officers fled the scene. „Everything is working fine in the suburbs. Everyone obeys the curfew,” the man who filmed the video remarked ironically at the end.

After seeing the video, the French police trade union Unité SGP Police wished their colleagues good luck in trying to enforce the curfew imposed by the government. Regarding the incident Stéphane Peu, a local representetive of the French Communist Party, said for the most part people appear to be complying with the curfew.