Police sources have confirmed that the shocking viral video of a man laying unconscious on the ground after being beaten by Arab rioters was an off-duty French police officer. He was one of two off-duty officers severely wounded by the mob. The targeted beating took place on Thursday night, which marked the third night of rioting that has rocked France since the police shooting of 17-year-old French-Algerian Nahel M., who was well known to the police for his lengthy criminal history.
In the video, one man is heard saying to the unconscious off-duty officer: “You’re knocked out on the ground, huh? That’s it, the Arabs — they f**ked you up.”
WARNING: GRAPHIC VIDEO
According to French newspaper Le Figaro, another officer was also assaulted. The first officer suffered a fractured jaw and the second received several stab wounds. Although the riots began in Paris, they have spread to a variety of French cities, and Marseilles has been hit hard.
While returning to their car, the off-duty officers were blocked on the road by burning trash cans in the 1st arrondissement of the city. When one of them got out to clear the way, one of the rioters recognized him. At that point, approximately 20 individuals violently attacked them, according to a police source.
Both officers were taken to the hospital. While police continue to look for the attackers, no arrests have yet been made in the case. However, an investigation into attempted murder has been opened.
French President Emmanuel Macron’s interior minister, Gérald Darmanin, offered comment on the two officers, saying: “They were beaten on the ground like dogs, there are no other words.”
On Thursday evening, 40,000 officers were deployed across France, but this did not stem the rioting. As Remix News reported, police stations, buildings, and mass looting took place across the country. The French interior ministry reports that over 800 arrests were made and 249 officers were injured.
Officers have been hit with Molotov cocktails and firework mortars, and subjected to physical assaults, with one French police union now threatening to mutiny unless they are given more resources, writing: “We are at war.”
In Marseilles, the city where the officers were beaten, the largest library in the city was also set on fire. The library contains priceless works of art and literature that date back to Medieval times.
The rioters have not only targeted police officers but also seemingly random White people who have been pulled from their vehicles and beaten by mobs.