= ""The view of the interior of the catholic church of Cure d'Ars in Romans, southeastern France November 16, 2005 after an arson attack during the night by unidentified people. REUTERS/Robert Pratta""
Posted on 11/16/2005 5:24:22 PM PST by ncountylee
PARIS - As the French parliament proceeded to extent a state of emergency, the wave of urban unrest that has swept France for nearly three weeks continued to subside late on Tuesday and early on Wednesday.
The French national police said on Wednesday that 163 vehicles were set on fire on the 20th consecutive night of disturbances, compared to 215 the previous night. Only five communities had more than five cars burned, police said.
In fact, the violence was so scattered that police said, “a link to the wave of urban violence was not always clear”.
Police took 50 people into custody overnight, down from 71 the previous night. On the most violent night of the unrest, rioters burned more than 1,400 vehicles and nearly 400 people were detained by police.
However, a church in the town of Romans-sur-Isere was damaged by a fire late Tuesday that police say appears to have been intentionally set. It was unclear if the possible arson was related to the urban violence.
In addition, one police officer was injured overnight in the southeastern city of Pont Eveque when he and fellow officers attempted to arrest a group of youths who were hurling bottles filled with acid.
A total of 126 law enforcement officers have been hurt since the riots began on October 27, police said. In addition, nearly 9,000 vehicles have been set on fire and some 2,900 people were detained by police.
As the rioting continued to ebb, the French parliament was voting on a bill by the government to extend the state of emergency for three months.
Late Tuesday, the lower house of the parliament, the National Assembly, approved the proposal by a vote of 346 in favour and 148 against, with four abstentions.
The vote was strictly along party lines, with the ruling UMP and its centrist ally the UDF voting in favour and the opposition Socialists, Greens and Communists voting against it.
The Senate is to vote on the measure later on Wednesday.
The state of emergency went into effect last Wednesday and will expire at midnight November 20. According to the 1955 law that established it, a state of emergency can only be decreed by the government once, and for a period of 12 days. Any prolongation must be voted into law.
Sounds like the second coming of the Iraqi information minister . . .
Considering it was reported that before the riots, France had 3500 cars a month burned anyway.
France Elevates its Security Level:
As many are aware, the French government recently announced a raise in
its terror alert level from "Hide" to "Run". The normal level is
"Arrogant Disregard". The only two higher levels in France are
"Surrender" and "Collaborate". The rise was precipitated by a recent
fire that destroyed France's white flag factory, effectively paralysing
the country's military capability.
But it's not only the French that are on a heightened level of alert:
Italy has increased the alert level from "Shout excitedly" to "Elaborate
military posturing". Two more levels remain, "Ineffective combat
operations" and "Change sides".
The Germans also increased their alert state from "Disdain" to "Dress in
uniform and sing marching songs". They have two higher levels: "Invade a
neighbour" and "Lose".
Seeing this reaction in continental Europe the Americans have gone from
"Isolationism" to "Find an oil-rich nation for regime change". Their
remaining higher alert states are "Attack a random country (ideally one
without credible military)" and "Beg the British to explain, in English,
what we're doing".
The British are also feeling the pinch in relation to recent bombings
and have raised their security level from "Miffed" to "Peeved". Soon
though, security levels may be raised yet again to "Irritated" and then
to "A Bit Cross". Londoners have not been "A Bit Cross" since the Blitz
in 1940 when tea supplies all but ran out. Terrorists have been
re-categorized from "Tiresome" to "Bloody Nuisance". The last time the
British issued a "Bloody Nuisance" warning level was during the Great
Fire of 1666.
Must be the Jews.
Is it time we saved France's butt again. Maybe General Honore needs to be called up. He used to squaring up trouble in a French community ie. New Orleans for example.
Viva la Honore!!!!
= ""The view of the interior of the catholic church of Cure d'Ars in Romans, southeastern France November 16, 2005 after an arson attack during the night by unidentified people. REUTERS/Robert Pratta""
of course it will subside when they run out of OTHER peoples stuff to burn... you don't expect them to burn their OWN stuff now do you???
I think France is simply running out of cars to burn.
France's Kristalnacht is more like Autonacht.
Need to throw something in there about fire... Autopyronacht.
Hilarious!
Fortunately, no Qurans were defiled. </Sarc>
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