On Bastille Day in the commune of Montreuil, an eastern suburb area of Paris, French youths set fire to 317 cars.

[2] On 9 July many youths started a protest in Firminy near Saint-Étienne, after the death of a young Algerian man, Mohamed Benmouna, in police custody.

[3][4] Benmouna's parents rejected the official account of suicide.

[5] Riots on Bastille day are a frequent occurrence in France as the disaffected protest high unemployment rates and failed integration policies for minorities.

The injured officers suffered mainly from hearing difficulties after having been targeted by youths armed with fireworks and small-scale home-made explosives.