France on Edge as Coordinated Attacks Target Prison Staff
16th April 2025
French authorities are investigating a wave of violent attacks targeting prison staff across the country, with cars torched and threats escalating outside prison walls. On Wednesday, three vehicles were set on fire in Tarascon, including one belonging to a prison guard. In a separate incident, a guard’s car was burned outside his home near Aix-en-Provence.
The attacks follow similar incidents since Sunday, including gunfire at a prison entrance and graffiti with the acronym “DDPF”—a group claiming to defend prisoners’ rights. A video shared on Telegram, later deleted, showed a guard and a burning car, fueling alarm.
Justice Minister Gérald Darmanin blamed drug networks, saying, “Clearly people are trying to destabilise the state by intimidating it.”
Union officials warned that the violence is spreading beyond prison walls. “Threats and intimidation inside prisons are part of the daily grind,” said Wilfried Fonck of UFAP UNSA. “But that this is now happening outside is worrying.”