A Strange Tradition Of Setting Cars On Fire In France On New Year’s Eve Saw 874 Burned On Dec. 31st, 2021

A strange tradition of setting cars on fire in France on new Year’s Eve saw 874 vehicles burned on Dec. 31st, 2021.

The figures saw a drop in the number of cars set ablaze this New Year’s Eve due to the COVID pandemic.

In comparison, 1,316 vehicles were burned by revelers during pre-pandemic New Year’s Eve 2019.

The practice of setting cars on fire at the start of the new year in France dates back to the 1990s.

Youths in lower-income neighborhoods began the practice, where it then spread as a sign of protests.

A strange and very unproductive tradition of setting cars on fire in France on new year’s eve saw “only 874 vehicles” torched on purpose on 31st December, 2021.

This figures, made public by Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin on Twitter, saw a drop in the number of cars set ablaze this New Year’s Eve due to the COVID pandemic.

A strange tradition of setting cars on fire in France on New Year’s eve saw 874 burned on December 31st, 2021

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In comparison, 1,316 vehicles were burned by revelers during pre-pandemic New Year’s Eve 2019, according to a statement posted by the Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin on Twitter.

Authorities attributes 2021 decline to a beefed-up police presence of 95,000 officers in the capital Paris and across the country on New Year’s Eve, as well as restrictions on public gathering due to the omicron surge.

There were no statistics available for 2020 due to France’s coronavirus lockdown across the country.

The practice of setting cars on fire at the start of the new year in France dates back to the 1990s in the region around Strasbourg.

Youths in lower-income neighborhoods began the practice in earnest in the 90s, where it then spread as a sign of protests.

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