FRANCE HIT BY COORDINATED PRISON RIOTS: FIRES, GUNFIRE REPORTED

PARIS, FRANCE • A wave of coordinated disturbances, including vehicle fires and automatic gunfire, has struck multiple prisons across France, including facilities in Toulon, Aix-en-Provence, and Marseille. Investigators believe these acts are directly linked to Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau's anti-drug trafficking strategy.

Paris, France, April 15, 2025 – 10:55 AM – Toulon, Aix-en-Provence, Marseille. Several penal institutions across France experienced vehicle fires, and the Toulon prison reported automatic gunfire overnight. For investigators, these incidents appear to be "coordinated" and "clearly linked" to Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau's anti-drug trafficking strategy. According to Le Figaro today, "among the affected institutions are also the prisons of Marseille (Bouches-du-Rhône), Valence, Nîmes and Luynes (Indre-et-Loire), Villepinte (Seine-Saint-Denis), and Nanterre (Hauts-de-Seine)."

From Toulon to Aix-Luynes

According to the entourage of Justice Minister Gérald Darmanin (who will visit the Toulon prison this afternoon to support the officers), the prison there was targeted by automatic weapons fire last night. The FO Justice union stated that "fifteen impacts were detected on the entrance gate," adding, "these criminal acts are a frontal attack against our institution, against the Republic, and against the officers who serve it daily." The President of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region, Renaud Muselier, wrote on X that "two vehicles were set on fire" near the Aix-Luynes prison, and its gate was "attacked." He also announced that a vehicle was set ablaze at the Marseille prison, and ten others were stolen.