SUMMARY
- France's government, grappling with escalating riots, promises to consider "all options" to restore order.
- Aided by a fourfold increase in police deployments, authorities have made hundreds of arrests, yet hundreds of officers have been injured.
- President Emmanuel Macron, amid the turmoil, is en route to Paris for a second crisis cabinet meeting, leaving a state of emergency declaration in question.
In the face of widespread civil unrest escalating into damaging riots - the likes of which have not been seen since a contentious police-related teenager's death - the French government has assured its citizenry that it is considering "all options" to reinstate tranquility and order.
The severity of the situation escalated as hundreds of law enforcement officials suffered injuries, while the corresponding number of arrests reached into the hundreds as well. Conflicts between law enforcement and rioters surged through various towns and cities across the country, leaving in their wake a scorched trail of buildings, vehicles, and pillaged stores.
Gerald Darmanin, the Interior Minister, reported a monumental increase in police deployments - a fourfold rise to an impressive 40,000 officers, in an attempt to suppress the chaotic wave of disturbance. Despite these measures, the third night of unrest culminated in a staggering 667 arrests, as noted by Darmanin via Twitter.
The consequences of these clashes have been deeply felt within the law enforcement community. Official tallies state that 249 officers were injured nationwide. Further, 79 police posts have been attacked alongside 119 public buildings - a list that includes 34 town halls and 28 schools.
At the center of this maelstrom, President Emmanuel Macron has not yet declared a state of emergency. Currently on his way back to Paris from Brussels, after prematurely leaving a European Union summit, Macron is expected to attend a second crisis cabinet meeting in as many days.
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