Nearly a third of those arrested after the riots following the death of Nahel in 2023 were minors in France.

Omissions

• The total number of arrests varies slightly across sources: Darmanin cited 3,800 (mid-crisis, July 2023) while later parliamentary reports reference 3,500, but the 'one third' proportion remains constant.
• The Ministry of Justice's November 2024 report found that 28% of those formally charged ('mis en cause') were minors — a slightly lower figure that applies to a narrower legal category than 'interpellés' (arrested/detained). The MEP's claim correctly uses the broader 'interpellés' measure, which is consistent with the one-third figure.
• The claim does not distinguish between different types of offences or specify that a large share of the minors had no prior criminal record, context which may be relevant to understanding the profile of those arrested.

Sources

• PrimaryVie Publique (French government official portal) — Speech by Gérald Darmanin, Minister of the InteriorSur les 3 800 personnes interpellées, un tiers sont des mineurs. (Of the 3,800 people arrested, one third are minors.)
• PrimaryFrench Senate — Report 'Émeutes de juin 2023 : comprendre, évaluer, réagir' (Rapport n° 521)les mineurs représentant un tiers d'entre elles (minors representing a third of those arrested)
• PrimaryAssemblée nationale — Report n° 628, 17e législature, Commission des loisun tiers des 3 500 personnes interpellées lors des émeutes de 2023 étaient mineures (one third of the 3,500 people arrested during the 2023 riots were minors)
• SecondaryLe Parisien (with AFP)1 180 mineurs ont été identifiés comme auteurs d'infractions […] un tiers des émeutiers étaient mineurs (1,180 minors were identified as perpetrators of offences […] one third of rioters were minors)