Paris, Feb 14 .- Some 12 people were arrested on the outskirts of Paris overnight after a new night of protests over alleged police assault of a young man, according to authorities on Tuesday.

According to police, more than 100 people have been arrested since the start of the disturbances, while 200 vehicles have been damaged and more than 160 containers set on fire in different parts of the capital.

The French President on Tuesday called for calm and asked protesters not to take justice into their own hands: "Young people merit respect when they are remanded (by police)."

He added: "It is up to the justice department to tackle problems that arise."

Unrest in some of the French capital's low-income suburbs has been ongoing since the Feb. 2 arrest of Aulnay-sous-Bois resident, Théo, a 22-year-old black man who was hospitalized for an anal tear after police officers allegedly sexually assaulted him with a nightstick.

The protest has been gaining ground and overnight there were also disturbances in places far from the epicenter of the protests, such as Dijon.

After two nights of relative calm, violence returned over the weekend after the preliminary police report on Théo's alleged assault was circulated by the media.

Although initial investigative lines suggested the charged officer did not intentionally cause an anal tear during the violent arrest, Théo's case has caught the attention of the French public and officials alike.

Hollande denounced any acts of violence, or damages, resulting from the unrest.

However, those who protested fear the police sought to cover up the reality of what happened to the young man.

Hollande visited Théo in hospital last week and was set to open a youth integration center in the north of Paris on Tuesday.