The day after a demonstration in support of the independence activist Yvan Colonna marked by violence, the authorities reinforced the police force.
According to information from CNEWS, 61 police officers from the “CRS 8” intervention unit thus joined Bastia on Monday, where the violence was the strongest.
Operational since last summer, the CRS 8 unit is made up of 200 agents specially trained to intervene quickly in theaters of urban violence.
Based in Essonne, these police officers can be mobilized 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. They can be deployed anywhere in the territory for missions lasting a few days at most.
NO MORE VIOLENT PROTESTS
The creation of this unit, desired by the Director General of the National Police Frédéric Veaux, was to respond to the increase in violent demonstrations and urban violence, particularly in medium-sized towns which did not previously experience this type of phenomenon.
According to information from CNEWS, the demonstration in Bastia in support of Yvan Colonna left 93 injured, including 70 among the police. The police and gendarmes were the target of nearly 650 homemade incendiary devices.