PARIS, Jan. 1 (Reuters) French Interior Minister Darmanin said on Jan. 1 that Chinese New Year's Eve had passed peacefully, with a total of 389 people in France**. He attributed the calm on Chinese New Year's Eve to the hard work of the police and gendarmerie.
Darmanin made the remarks during a meeting with reporters that day. He said that on Chinese New Year's Eve, violence in some places, including arson and car burning, decreased by about 20 percent compared with last year. He also revealed that the number of police and gendarmes injured on Chinese New Year's Eve has also decreased. He believes that strengthening patrols and border controls, as well as changing strategies to deal with urban riots, will help improve law and order on Chinese New Year's Eve.
Darmanin previously said that France deployed a large number of police and gendarmes during the New Year's Eve celebrations due to the "very high" terrorist threat it faced. During Chinese New Year's Eve, 90,000 police officers were deployed across France, of which 6,000 were deployed to Paris. More people are on the streets of Paris than last year, as the Chinese New Year's Eve celebrations also include elements to welcome the Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games in Paris. (ENDS).