Almost 1,000 cars torched around France on New Year's Eve. Government: 'went particularly well'

Telegraph (UK) ^ | 02 January 2017 | Henry Samuel

[Lorianne]

Vandals in France torched 945 parked cars over New Year's Eve in an arson rampage that has become a sinister annual "tradition" and amid a row over whether the government had sought to play down the figures.

According to the French interior ministry, the total of 945, which included cars that were either "totally destroyed" or "more lightly affected", amounted to a 17 per cent rise compared to last year.

Despite this, New Year's Eve "went off without any major incident", the interior ministry insisted in a statement, adding that there were only "a few troubles with public order",

In fact, police arrested 454 people over the night, 301 of whom were taken into custody.

On Sunday, the ministry had chosen to release a much lower figure of 650 cars torched, as this only indicated the number of vehicles "set on fire" and not those engulfed in the ensuing flames.

[jonrick46]

Wow! The French have no concern for this contribution to atmospheric carbon. /sarc.

[dfwgator]

Kind of like “Devil’s Night” in Detroit.

[heterosupremacist]

The French Government is just over-the-top STUPID! HA!

[LydiaLong]

Because nothing says Happy New Year like torching a few thousand cars.

[Dr.Deth]

Citronella keeps pests away, Citroens do not.

[C210N]

The yearly economic stimulus package.

Works just like breaking windows.

[facedown]

...the interior ministry insisted in a statement, adding that there were only "a few troubles with public order".

[dfwgator]

[ImJustAnotherOkie]

Roasting christian eyeballs over a burning car is the new French delicacy.

[HiTech RedNeck]

Well that’s one way to get new cars sold. But why is France taking it so philosophically. Something that bad would be met with pitchforks and tar and feathers most any other places.

[dp0622]

New Year’s Eve “went off without any major incident”...

Yeah. My neighbor just set my car on fire about 10 minutes ago.

Spread to a few others. But no high end cars.

It’s not a “major incident”

[HiTech RedNeck]

Did Devil’s Night in Detroit ever do anything to deserve being compared to this? Possibly, Devil’s Night in Detroit ought to be apologized to.

[bert]

They hang horse thieves don’t they?

burning cars should be a hanging offense

Burn today, hang tomorrow

[HiTech RedNeck]

Talk about Stockholm syndrome

[Iron Munro]

Obama tried to destroy the American auto industry in 2009.

But in France other muslims are doing their best to pump up new car sales.

[HiTech RedNeck]

Maybe most of France’s cars are only worth half a horse?

[ameribbean expat]

Hate to say it, but the French need the Germans to wake up and kick their butts again. It’s the only foreign policy they’ve understood with any degree of clarity for 200 years.

[HiTech RedNeck]

The Germans can’t even kick jihadi butts now. What says they would have the slightest interest in the French?

[HiTech RedNeck]

You wrote a ditty about this some years back didn’t you dfu?