Posted on 11/11/2005 8:31:34 AM PST by areafiftyone
News from France about the continuing Muslim riots seems to have been shut off like a spigot—even though nearly 500 cars were torched again last night. Here’s one of the few reports available, at canada.com: Residents to march in Paris to call for end to unrest. (Hat tip: Gerald.)
PARIS — Police tightened security in central Paris as exasperated residents of riot-torn suburbs prepared to march Friday near the Eiffel Tower to call for an end to more than two weeks of car burnings and vandalism across France.
As the unrest continued to decline, civic groups timed their call to march for the Armistice Day holiday - marking the end of the First World War - hours after the annual military parade for the commemoration. Police blocked off large swaths of central Paris, with trucks of riot police deployed along the Champs-Elysees and near the presidential palace.
Some 715 officers were brought in from other districts, raising the full deployment to 2,220.
“Today, we don’t want an armistice - we want peace,” national police Chief Michel Gaudin told reporters. “An armistice is a temporary halt. What we want is definitive peace for the suburbs.”
The unrest has weakened in intensity under state-of-emergency measures enacted Wednesday and a heavy police presence.
Overnight, a 15th consecutive night of violence saw fewer skirmishes and fewer cars burned - 463, down from 482 the previous night, police said.
“We have seen a continued drop beyond Paris, but persistence near the capital,” said national police spokesman Patrick Hamon. “We cannot yet claim victory, the drop remains fragile.”
Meanwhile, the Village Voice’s David Ng, safe in a “chi-chi” Paris cafe, says the riots were no big deal and CNN made it all up: CNN Got It Wrong.
On Monday, two French colleagues and I were talking at a chi-chi café in Paris when we saw a group of police officers in battle regalia boarding a bus just outside our window. “I think we can guess where they’re going,” one of my friends remarked. Sharp inhalations all around, followed by raised eyebrows.
Our awkward and nervous reaction to those policemen initially struck me as somewhat pitiful—a stinging example of the French bourgeoisie’s intellectual detachment from the riots in the city suburbs. Why were we sitting in this café? Why didn’t we march to Clichy-Sous-Bois, or La Courneuve, or Aulnay-Sous-Bois, where some of the most violent protests were taking place?
But now, with the riots finally winding down, the café culture’s reluctance to engage the riots—its choice of distance (or what the French call recul) seems the right response to the events of the past two weeks.
But wait... the French appeasment/surrender policy didn't work? I'm shocked.
I am confused. Did David Ng want to go protest for peace or do some rioting himself. Given he comes from the Village Voice I do not know.
And you left out some other tidbits from his article:
As the cars stop burning and some semblance of order returns to the most troubled areas (albeit with the help of draconian curfew measures), now is as good a time as any to ask: Just what the hell happened? (And how did the American media paint such a distorted picture?)
1. Curfews are draconian measures?? Hahaha
2. How can he in the same sentence ask "what happened" then ask "how did the American media get it wrong"? If he doesn't know what happened how does he know the American media got it wrong?
3. He points out that the media said "Paris is Burning". Ok that was a hyperbole but never the less... it is his best argument.
4. I like that fact he is doing his best reporting from where? A cafe in Paris...
hehe good post
Oh I just posted what was on Little Green Footballs. Apparently they just posted snippits of the articles with the links so you can get the full version. Amazing isn't it how the French media has all but stopped reporting anything and the U.S. MSM is too.
When there's a war around you, you can choose to remain aloof only so long.
As the old rubric goes, "Imagine somebody gave a war and nobody came?"
The morons always ignore the rest of the statement:
"The war will come to you!"
D'OH!
... and if the "press", such as this loser, is among the first victims, it is no great loss...
Well, of cousre, they have stick with the methods they've used for decades. Don't worry, the "disaffected youths" will soon tire of their "civil disobedience". What a joke....
They're running out of cars?
Imagine how they'd react to the news that France's National Razor has changed from the Guillotine to the Islamic Jambiya. (think Daniel Pearl)
I have had some first hand experience at what media, whether main stream or not, is capable of doing. It is very sad and pathetic.
I saw reports that in suburbs of Paris and 300 other cities/towns, businesses, schools (SCHOOLS?), and cars were firebombed (1000 per night!!!).
Ah, to be able to sit in a downtown eatery and sip a drink and be incredulous about riots.
Liberals really do live in a parallel universe, don't they?
The car thing is a terrible barometer of progress.
If there were riots in my neighborhood for two weeks straight, I would certainly park my car in a safer neighborhood or in a garage.
Yes, they're running out of cars.
HA HA HA HA HA HA. So true.
Probably, or rather having to spend longer in transit to find the nearest cars to torch, leaving less of the night for arson.
Islam, The Alleged Religion of Peace® ( TARP™ )? Click this picture:
No, I am not exaggerating. Click the pic, go to "last," and read backwards.
If you are not informed about this stuff, you will be made sick. If you are informed, you will be made mad, all over again.
Then, there is this little problem...
For "Thunder on the Border," click the picture:
Kindly note tagline:
Winding down? Sure. Winding down in Jordan, India, and Baghdad, too. If there are any moslems reading this, somebody is speaking for you. Bombs and fire, that is all we hear. Okay with you?
Thanks.
fiftyone, this SNAFU is descending from tragedy, to parody, to farce. It's reaching comic-opera levels of absurdity.
Spray the rioters with pork, and let them know it.
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