France is seeing a wave of extremely violent attacks on French police officers, with two incidents showcasing the risks law enforcement faces.
According to L’Union news outlet, six off-duty police officers were violently attacked by around 10 individuals while they were meeting colleagues for dinner. The incident was caught on film and shows a number of individuals surrounding and beating the officers.
The beating took place on September 13-14 in Reims.
🇫🇷🔴6 off-duty French police officers were violently lynched in the French city of Reims, by about 10 individuals.
2 arrested suspects are from Mayotte (off the coast of Africa).
The suspects knew the officers, and one had just been released from prison 4 days ago.
One officer… pic.twitter.com/oLe5lJ8i7M
— Remix News & Views (@RMXnews) September 16, 2025Prosecutor François Schneider described the attack as a “lynching.” Two suspects, aged 26 and 27 and originally from Mayotte, an island off the coast of Africa in the Indian Ocean, were arrested on Sept. 15 and will be charged.
Prosecutors allege that the perpetrators knew who they were attacking and were purposefully targeting police officers. The officers’ injuries range from 4 to 28 days of temporary incapacity for work, including a broken ankle, a fractured nose, and blows inflicted with a belt buckle.
The two suspects, already known to the courts, are repeat offenders for violence. One of them had just been released from prison four days earlier. The prosecutor’s office has requested their pretrial detention.
The UN1TÉ union described the area of Reims, known as Promenades, as a “lawless zone” and “cut-throat” at night. The police union is demanding more staff. The National Police Alliance calls for an “exemplary and swift” conviction.
Officer left disfigured
In a separate attack, a French anti-crime officer was left disfigured. During this incident, the lone officer was surrounded by a pack that relentlessly beat him. A number of suspects have since been arrested, all French citizens: Islam S., Sofiane B., Gebril S., Aissa S., and Khadija S.
The beating was so brutal that the country’s interior minister was forced to issue a statement.
🇫🇷🚨A French anti-crime officer was beaten savagely by a group of thugs in the French city of Tourcoing.
Spectators watched on and filmed the brutal assault.
He suffered severe injuries and remains hospitalized.
The video features laughing emojis and Arab rap music. pic.twitter.com/yJfsWIq6NR
— Remix News & Views (@RMXnews) September 12, 2025Two of the teenagers are in pre-trial detention, while three others are under judicial supervision. They have also been banned from public roads without proper legal authority between 7:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m.
Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu has also contacted the officer, stating he offered “his full support.”
The beating took place on Sept. 11 in Tourcoing, according to CNEWS.
The officer, who serves as an anti-crime squad officer (BAC), suffered a broken nose during the beating. He had intervened on Thursday afternoon during a “scooter theft.”
According to police, the case “involved blackmail, harassment of a kid, a poor kid, who was subjected to terror by a small gang,” said outgoing Minister of Justice Gérald Darmanin.
In other words, the officer was trying to help a youth being targeted by a gang.
Darmanin said that the officer suffered a broken “nasal septum for which he will probably have surgery.”
These are not isolated incidents, as violent acts against French police had already doubled over the last two decades, according to data from 2021.
