According to national authorities, several French prisons are suffering from waves of overnight attacks.
The vehicle was on fire in the prison parking lot, and the entrance to one prison was targeted by shooting from an automatic weapon.
Justice Minister Gerald Dalmanin said the prison faced “attempts to intimidate” and linked the attack to crackdown on drug trafficking.
Seven facilities were attacked in Toulon, Aix-en-Provence, Marseille, Valence, Nîmes and Villepinte and Nanterre near Paris, according to the Parisien newspaper.
In a post on X, Dharmanin said he was traveling to Toulon to provide assistance to the affected officers.
Without directly responsible for the attack, he said the French government is “facing drug trafficking problems” and has taken steps to “deeply disrupt” criminal networks.
Home Minister Bruno Reciro said the government’s response must be “relenting.”
“People attacking prisons and officers deserve to be trapped in those prisons and monitored by those officers,” he posted on X.
He added that he instructed police to immediately increase security at prison facilities.
Prison Guard FO Justice expressed “the deepest concern and anger” overnight following the “very serious” attack.
The union has posted updates from the aftermath of several attacks on the X, including images of burnt-out vehicles in prison parking lots and bullet holes at the entrance to Toulon prison.
It called for urgent government action to protect prison staff.
The Monday night attack came after seven vehicles were burned on Sunday in a similar attack on the French National Prison Management School, according to the coalition.
“It is concerning that some people will no longer be hesitant to directly attack prison property, symbols of national authority,” the statement said.
The group has not claimed responsibility for the attack, but Laparicien reports that the DDPF (meaning “the rights of French prisoners”) has been found to be carved into damaged vehicles. AFP News Agency says anarchist slogans have been found on some sites.
The AFP cites sources close to the incident that the attacks appear to be coordinated and “clearly linked” to the government’s strategy against drug trafficking.
The law has passed through the French parliament, which creates a special prosecutor’s office to deal with drug crimes and has new authority for investigators.
