A woman wearing a face mask crosses a street as a man enjoys the sun on his balcony during a nationwide confinement to counter the COVID-19, in Paris, Monday, April 20, 2020. A flood of new research suggests that far more people have had the Covid-19 without any symptoms, fueling hope that it will turn out to be much less lethal than originally feared. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena)
The Associated Press
PARIS (AP) - Paris police are facing a modest uptick of unrest in the oft-troubled suburbs of the locked-down French capital, making a small number of arrests after fires were set and fireworks lobbed to shatter the calm imposed by stay-home measures to counter the coronavirus.
A scattering of vehicle and trash-can blazes and firework explosions on the outskirts of Paris this week have so far been far milder than previous outbreaks of violence. But the renewed tensions are also a reminder of policing difficulties that have long simmered in troubled neighborhoods of the city, before the virus lockdown forced most people indoors.
Paris police said officers arrested nine people in two suburbs overnight Tuesday. They were suspected of either possessing fireworks or gathering together to commit violence.
A possible trigger for the flare-up appears to have been a traffic accident this past weekend involving a police car and a motorcyclist who was injured. Police reported that projectiles were thrown at officers following the crash on Saturday evening.
The French lockdown, in place since March 17, has been particularly tough for families jammed together in small apartments in the poorer Paris suburbs. The stay-home orders and police patrols to enforce them have also disrupted underground economies that are centered around drug-dealing and other crime in unruly projects.
A young girl rides her bike during a nationwide confinement to counter the COVID-19, in Paris, Monday, April 20, 2020. A flood of new research suggests that far more people have had the Covid-19 without any symptoms, fueling hope that it will turn out to be much less lethal than originally feared. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena)
The Associated Press
Young parisians look at a banner reading "Thanks" to honor the professional categories on the front line during a nationwide confinement to counter the COVID-19, in Paris, Monday, April 20, 2020. A flood of new research suggests that far more people have had the Covid-19 without any symptoms, fueling hope that it will turn out to be much less lethal than originally feared. (AP Photo/Francois Mori)
The Associated Press
A woman wearing protective face mask walks past a mural during a nationwide confinement to counter the COVID-19, in Paris, Monday, April 20, 2020. A flood of new research suggests that far more people have had the Covid-19 without any symptoms, fueling hope that it will turn out to be much less lethal than originally feared. (AP Photo/Francois Mori)
The Associated Press
A woman crosses a road next to a bus waiting at a traffic light during a nationwide confinement to counter the COVID-19, in Paris, Monday, April 20, 2020. A flood of new research suggests that far more people have had the Coronavirus without any symptoms, fueling hope that it will turn out to be much less lethal than originally feared. (AP Photo/Francois Mori)
The Associated Press