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Nearly 2,000 people have been convicted in France over nationwide riots sparked in late June by the fatal police shooting of a teenager during a traffic stop near Paris, Justice Minister Eric Dupond-Moretti said on Tuesday.
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The minister had called for a “rapid, firm and systematic” response from magistrates to the worst urban violence in the country since 2005, with many courts holding fast-track trials for suspects.
Speaking to RTL radio, Dupond-Moretti said that out of 2,107 people tried, 1,989 had been found guilty, and 1,789 had received prison sentences.
“I called on magistrates to be firm, and they responded,” Dupond-Moretti added. “It was a question of restoring law and order.”
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The minister also said that 20 judicial facilities had been vandalised during the four nights of clashes, costing the taxpayer five million euros ($5.4 million).
The rioting began on June 27 after a police officer shot dead a 17-year-old boy with North African roots during a traffic stop west of Paris.
The riots were contained after the deployment of around 45,000 security forces on successive evenings, including elite police special forces and armoured vehicles.
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