Posted on 11/06/2005 11:08:45 PM PST by ncountylee
Paris - Youths armed with shot pistols wounded 29 police officers on Sunday as rioting went into an 11th consecutive day in France, said police in the southern Paris suburb of Grigny.
Two of the officers struck by the pellets were said to be seriously wounded after police came under fire during clashes with groups of rioters in Grigny.
Sunday's new round of unrest broke out as President Jacques Chirac broke his silence on the crisis, telling journalists in Paris that the government's "absolute priority is the re-establishment of security and public order".
"The law should have the final word," Chirac said after an emergency meeting of the government's homeland security council.
In what were Chirac's first comments on the unrest, the French president said that he, Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin and the seven ministers in the homeland security council had "taken a certain number of decisions to reinforce the actions of the police and courts".
"The republic is quite determined to be stronger than those who want to spread violence and fear," Chirac added.
Another outbreak of violence
Villepin said the government would speed up judicial proceedings against those who taking part in the riots, and security forces would be reinforced "wherever it is necessary throughout the country".
Even as the French leaders spoke, new violence had broken out.
Two people were injured on Sunday evening when a group of youths set fire to a bus in Saint Etienne, where bus service was immediately suspended citywide.
Police in Saint Etienne said an elementary school in a tense neighbourhood of the city was burned down on Sunday evening, while farther north, in a suburb of the city of Roanne, youths torched eight lorries in a car park.
Cars and trash bins were also burned on Sunday evening in the cities of Nantes, Orleans and Rennes as police and firefighters braced for another long night of violence and arson.
Rioters mostly minors
The new disturbances came after the unrest had spread on Saturday and Sunday across France, as gangs of youths attacked police and burned cars in Paris, Lyon, Toulouse and other cities.
The turmoil spread for the first time to central Paris where 51 cars were set on fire on Sunday. Police made 30 arrests in the capital.
Nationwide, 1 295 cars were torched overnight on Saturday, and police reported 349 arrests.
TF 1 television reported on Sunday that the rioters were predominantly minors, and that the average age of the nearly 500 people arrested over the preceding 24 hours was 16.
The chaos was set off by anger in France's immigrant community over the deaths of two teenagers as they were apparently evading police on October 27. They tried to hide inside a power transformer and were electrocuted.
A police investigation into the deaths is currently underway.
Hey France! Use bullets.
Guess the fatwa needs some work.
What is a "shot pistol"?
A gun that delivers 1oz of whisky with each pull of the trigger?
Semper Fi
Anyone want to make bets on how Jean-Marie Le Pen and his party are going to do in future elections?
Should?
I guess it's optional...
No, they apparently don't want to kill Frogkopz, or some sniper would have done it right at the start.
With the press ... just fine.
LOL! I could use a "shot" myself tonight! Maybe get some sleep.
The French CRS riot control/SWAT teams are highly trained and armed to the teeth. They should not be blamed for not controlling the riots.
The order has not come from the top. They can only follow the orders given.
does it seem the Muslims are testing their limits?? probing?
In your dreams!!!!!!
I'll cover the bet -- that at least two Policemen will be killed before the rioting stops...
Semper Fi
A compressed air gun. Not rifled, short barrel. Many here in America might say Paintball Gun. Actually, with the dearth of firearms overseas, they have some very nifty compressed air weapons. Many of which utilize ozone depleting gas, once known as Freon. R12 is only bad if Americans use it to cool the passenger cabin in an automobile. It does NOT deplete the ozone layer when used as a weapon against any western government. Same as incinerating a Renault is green friendly. Only GM and Ford pollute.
If a situation like that happened in America, the cops would walk out.
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