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In a small picturesque French town called Quissac, a group of insurgents recently launched a bombardment on the local gendarmes' barracks, denting its metal shutters with powerful fireworks and setting fire to a cypress tree. As the rioting spreads to small French towns, there appears to be no end to the destruction.

While the Quissac incidents may seem minor compared to the widespread destruction, arson, looting, and rioting that has engulfed numerous communities across France in the past six nights. It was nonetheless an unprecedented occurrence for a town with a population of 3,300 in the Gard region of southern France.

The unsettling experience is taking place in hundreds of similar towns and villages across France. And the latest wave of rioting in France is different from previous cycles of violence known as “les violences urbaines” or urban violence.

This time, the unrest spread beyond the traditional blue-collar towns and disadvantaged housing projects, reaching even the more remote locations that had previously been spared from the nationwide riots of 2005.

The mayor of L'Aigle in Normandy, Philippe Van-Hoorne, expresses his surprise at the incidents in his small town, saying, "In the press and even on the TV news, it was mainly Paris and its suburbs, Lyon, and Marseille that were talked about. But when you look, there were also incidents in a certain number of small communities... Unfortunately, the increase of uncivil behavior, of violence, is developing even in modest towns like ours... It's very hard to solve."

Rioting spreads throughout France

According to the government's estimate, more than 500 cities, towns, and villages were affected this time after the police shooting of Nahel Merzouk in the Paris suburb of Nanterre on June 27. The tragic death of the 17-year-old of North African descent resulted in nationwide outrage. 

The scale of destruction across the country is staggering, with over 6,000 vehicles and 12,400 trash bins set ablaze, more than 1,100 buildings attacked, and numerous police officers injured.

It is estimated that over 1,300 rioters were arrested in the last 10 days.

The proliferation of videos depicting unrest on social networks is believed to have contributed to the copycat violence witnessed across the country. 

As Mayor Cathala explains, "It's one-upmanship, a way of showing off."

Larger towns were not spared, as evidenced by the loss of a library in Metz and the burning of a sports complex intended for the 2024 Paris Olympic Games in Macon. In Sens, a social center under construction was completely destroyed by fire.

Even towns like Colmar, known for its picturesque houses and canals, witnessed limited unrest with car fires and minor damage to a bank. Mayor Eric Straumann finds this paradoxical, given Colmar's low unemployment rate of about 5%.

In L'Aigle, three cars were torched, fires were set, and store windows were attacked. The mayor, Van-Hoorne, reports that arrests were made, including several minors who recorded their actions on their mobile phones.