French Cabinet Orders Deployment of Gendarmerie Armored Vehicles - Reports

PARIS (Sputnik) - The French cabinet ordered the deployment of armored vehicles of the gendarmerie due to the ongoing mass riots in the country, a local broadcaster reported on Friday, citing a law enforcement source.

French Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne has ordered to deploy four Centaur vehicles, as well as 14 VBRG — armored wheeled vehicles of the gendarmerie, the source was quoted as saying by the broadcaster.

In addition, the government ordered the cancellation of all major events in the country.

The report also said that 150 people had been detained for rioting in Paris.

Meanwhile, French President Emmanuel Macron said during a government meeting on the ongoing unrest that the country's internal ministry was using "additional means" of crowd control. He stressed that law enforcement was acting quickly and appropriately to manage the situation.

French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin has asked Paris authorities to impose a temporary ban on the sale and transportation of fireworks, petrol canisters and other chemical and highly flammable substances from 21:00 local time (19:00 GMT) until the riots subside.

He also said on social media that the next few hours will be "decisive" for the situation.

"The next few hours will be decisive and I know I can count on your constant readiness [to act] in accordance with the law and professional ethics," he said in a statement addressed to local authorities, firefighters and police officers.

The minister thanked all agencies involved in riot control for their "bravery, composure and professionalism" and expressed the government's full support for their actions. He added that additional personnel and equipment would help them "protect the republic and its values."

France experienced a third night of violence on Thursday after the fatal police shooting of a 17-year-old boy of North African descent on Tuesday morning sparked massive protests on the outskirts of Paris. The officer who shot the teen during a traffic stop in the northwestern Paris suburb of Nanterre has been charged with voluntary manslaughter and is in custody.

Borne said that she had held a crisis meeting Friday morning at her official residence in Paris to "take stock of the violence and abuse of the night." She called the riots "inexcusable" and reiterated her support for law enforcement.

Darmanin said 667 protesters had been detained overnight. Transport Minister Clement Beaune said about 20 buses had been torched in the Ile-de-France region south of Paris, including 12 that were burned to ashes in the commune of Aubervilliers.

Le Parisien daily reported that more than 3,800 fires had been raging across France during the night of unrest. Hundreds of public buildings and almost 2,000 cars had been damaged in what French authorities described as acts of vandalism. Some of the protesters were reportedly as young as 12.