Cars set on fire in Paris suburbs

Youths set fire to about 60 cars and 30 rubbish bins before dawn today in the suburbs north of Paris, scene of the start of nationwide riots last autumn and coinciding with the arrival of Bastille Day, France’s national day, officials said.

A police officer was injured as a cherry bomb exploded, the prefecture of the Seine-Saint-Denis region said.

Police detained 32 people, holding 21 of them for further questioning, according to the statement.

There were no confrontations between youths and police, although some youths tossed various projectiles, the statement said, adding that a policeman was injured by a cherry bomb.

Car burnings are not uncommon in the poor suburbs that ring France’s big cities, but authorities are keeping a watchful eye on sensitive neighbourhoods like those of the Seine-Saint-Denis region where three weeks of rioting erupted October 27, spreading to suburbs around France.

The larger than usual number of car burnings early today coincided with Bastille Day, France’s national holiday.