RIOTING broke out on housing estates around Paris this morning as tensions escalated over allegations of heavy-handed police treatment of ethnic minorities during the coronavirus lockdown.

The worst violence was in the northern suburb of Villeneuve-la-Garenne where police deployed tear gas in the early hours of Monday.

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10 Riots erupted in the Paris suburb following allegations of police heavy handedness against ethnic minorities Credit: @T_Bouhafs

10 Protesters left off fireworks in the early hours of Monday morning Credit: @T_Bouhafs

10 A burnt rental van was wrecked in Villeneuve-la-Garenne Credit: AFP or licensors

As the violence spread to nearby French towns, videos showed patrol cars being attacked in Aulnay-sous-Bois, where other vehicles and bins were also set on fire.

It came as police face criminal charges for a series of allegedly racist attacks as they enforce curfews and other tough law and order measures during France’s coronavirus crisis, which has so far claimed almost 20,000 lives.

Videos of the latest trouble posted by the journalist Taha Bouhafs, who is from an Algerian background, include one of him being handcuffed by police.

Mr Bouhaf’s earlier images show tear gas canisters being fired by the police, who were hit my numerous fireworks.

The early morning violence followed prosecutors opening an enquiry after a 30-year-old motorcyclist was critically injured following a collision with an unmarked police car in Villeneuve-la-Garenne, which is less than 10 miles from central Paris.

‘The very badly injured man comes from an Arab Muslim background,” said a source close to the case.

“He is critical in hospital, and people in the area have reacted very badly to what has happened.”

A local police spokesman said: “Police and their reinforcements have been the target of rioters, who have thrown stones and fireworks.

“The violence started in Villeneuve-la-Garenne and has spread to other towns and estates nearby.”

Last week prosecutors in Béziers, in the south of France, announced that officers were facing criminal charges after a father-of-three died while under arrest for breaching the coronavirus lockdown.

Three officers were videoed dragging Mohamed Gabsi, 33, along the ground during a curfew.

They are suspected of “intentional violence by a public official leading to manslaughter” and “non assistance of a person in danger”.

The offences come with a potential combined prison sentence of 15 years plus, said local prosecutors.

The case is particularly sensitive because Mr Gabsi was a Muslim, and Béziers is run by a far-right mayor who is supported by the National Rally party, which used to be called the National Front.

Mr Gabsi had suffered a heart attack by the time he arrived at a local police station, and witnesses saw two of the officers sitting on top of him in their patrol car.

Mr Gabsi’s suspicious death follows numerous complaints about police racism as forces across France enforce one of the strictest lockdowns in Europe.

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A spokesman for France’s Human Rights League described the death of Mr Gabsi, who was from an Arab background, as a ‘scandal that shows how the poor are being killed’ by the lockdown.

France on Sunday reported a total of 19,718 deaths from coronavirus since the start of the health emergency.

The country has been in lockdown from March 17, and this will continue until at least May 11.

10 Police eventually moved in to make arrests Credit: @RemyBuisine

10 Police used tear gas as well as baton charges to dispel the people on the streets Credit: @T_Bouhafs

10 Videos of the trouble posted by the French journalist Taha Bouhafs, who is from an Algerian background, includes one of him being manhandled by police Credit: @RemyBuisine

10 The riots were thought to have been sparked after a 30-year-old man was severely injured in a collision with an unmarked police car Credit: @T_Bouhafs

10 Armed police could be seen on the streets as they tried to restore order Credit: @T_Bouhafs

10 French CRS anti-riot police officers walk in a street in Villeneuve-la-Garenne Credit: AFP or licensors

10 Plainclothes police and CRS anti-riot police patrolled the local streets in an attempt to restore order to the Paris suburb Credit: AFP or licensors

France extends coronavirus lockdown for a month as Emmanuel Macron apologises for government ‘not being prepared enough’

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