French prisons targeted overnight in coordinated attacks amid crackdown on drug gangs

The wave of violence appears to be in response to the government’s intensified crackdown on organised crime and drug trafficking.

French Justice Minister Gérald Darmanin said: “Attempts have been made to intimidate staff in several prisons, ranging from burning vehicles to firing automatic weapons.”

He added: “I am going to Toulon to support the officers concerned. The French Republic is facing up to the problem of drug trafficking and is taking measures that will massively disrupt the criminal networks.”

At least six prisons were reportedly targeted in the early hours of Monday morning, including facilities in Toulon, Aix-en-Provence, Marseille, Valence, Nîmes, Luynes, Villepinte, and Nanterre. According to French media, a residential building housing prison guards in northern Marseille was also attacked. Two cars were set alight, and nine others were graffitied with the letters "DDPF", believed to stand for droit des prisonniers Français ("the rights of French prisoners").

No group has claimed responsibility for the attacks, but a government source told local media: “All of this appears coordinated and clearly linked to the minister's anti-narco-banditry strategy.”

Another source suggested that far-left extremist groups may also be behind the assaults, citing the “DDPF” markings found at several sites.

The anti-terrorism prosecutor’s office has opened an investigation. In Toulon, reports say gunmen in a car fired at the prison entrance around 1am. Seven bullet impacts were found on the building, and multiple boxes of ammunition were left at the scene. The suspects fled before security forces arrived, and no injuries have been reported.

In Valence, a scooter was used to set vehicles on fire outside the prison gates. The FO Justice union, which represents prison officers, expressed its “deepest concern and anger” over what it called “extremely serious” attacks. On social media, the union shared images of bullet-riddled windows and charred vehicles, urging the government to take immediate steps to safeguard staff.

Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau also issued a strong response, writing on X (formerly Twitter): “The State’s response must be implacable. Those who attack prisons and prison officers should be locked up in these prisons and watched over by these officers.”

Retailleau confirmed that he had ordered local prefects, police, and gendarmerie to increase security around prison facilities and staff.