Posted on 11/04/2005 5:09:48 AM PST by rface
In Aulnay-sous-Bois, north-east of Paris, a fire engine hurtles through the evening streets. After a tour around the long, high blocks of flats, the vehicle stops in front of a school building.
Flames are leaping from the window frames. “The glass has been smashed in,” says resident André Sirguey, angrily. “They’ve set it on fire. Again!”
It is nine o’clock, and a new evening full of violence and arson has begun. Every evening since Thursday, 27 October, the suburbs of Paris have been struck by serious riots. Youths take to the streets, light fires and engage in battles with the police.
Raising hell Mr Sirguey’s neighbour comes to watch what is going on this evening. “The school?” he yells, while clouds of black smoke hang around the apartment complexes. “Have those jerks really set it on fire? My daughter goes there!” He begins to gesticulate wildly. “If you really think it’s necessary to raise hell, then set fire to the town hall, or a government building, but not a school!”
Suddenly, there’s the sound of shouting from the end of the street. André Sirguey and his neighbour walk over, and see a line of about 30 police officers, helmets on, shields in hand. They’ve sealed off the street. Opposite them: the banlieu youths; immigrant boys with their hoods pulled over their heads, who stand defiantly in the middle of the street, yelling “come on then! Come on if you dare!” at the riot squad facing them.
Battlefield Scarcely two minutes later, and the street has been transformed into a battlefield. The youths hurl petrol-bombs, bottles and rubbish at the police. A shrubbery is set on fire and a skip is pushed into the middle of the street. It is also set alight.
Paris riots The officers stay in their places, deflecting bottles with their shields. When the young men come too close with their petrol bombs, rubber bullets are fired. Tear gas is kept near to hand, but it isn’t used. Again, this evening, Aulnay-sous-Bois is the stage for what some people say is urban guerilla warfare and what the extreme right calls ethnic civil war.
The riots began in the north-east of Paris, but, in a couple of days spread to suburbs around the whole of the French capital. Within a week, more than 140 rioters had been arrested.
People getting angry In the mosque at Clichy-sous-Bois, a couple of kilometers south of Aulnay, its chairman Abderrahmane Bouhout wants to give his analysis of the situation. The visitors to the mosque, however, are getting angry. Why talk to the press? They only paint a negative picture of Muslims here, they snarl at him.
Later on, outside the mosque, Mr Bouhout tells his side of the story. “People in this area don’t have any work, the young people don’t have anything to do,” he says, as the mosque fills up with men for evening prayer. It only needed something to spark it off.” A youth-worker, who has also come to pray, adds his opinion. “It’s a timebomb here! They’ve created ghettos, shoving all the immigrants together and then just letting things run their course over the years. Now the bomb has exploded.”
In Aulnay-sous-Bois, the police and fire services withdraw at around 11 o’clock at night: they’re needed elsewhere. On the other side of the city, a police station and a garage have been set on fire. The burning skip stays on the street.
Yeah....religion of peace.
Perhaps we should find a way to arm them and let them march on Chirac's house. Maybe he'd resign and then France could vote in a leader with an actual spine...
WAKE UP, ROBB!!
Oh sorry....where's my coffee?
Its not Islams fault. Its liberal-socialism-free immigration policy showing its fruits. Any group in that circumstance would be rioting. Giver-nment hand-outs only placate for so long.
I love Paris in the Springtime
I love Paris in the Fall
I love Paris in the Winter when it drizzles
I lover Paris in the Summer when it sizzles
(Cole Porter)
Yes, definitely Bush's fault, because Bush Lied! /sarcasm
France has done everything to kowtow to the Muslims, but also tried to get away with their customary elitism. Unfortunately, for what reasons I cannot comprehend, readical Muslims are also elitists of the first order. Now they're going to have to fight it out.
Let's see if there is anything of Charles Martel left in these morally bankrupt socialists. Certainly not in Paris, but maybe in the rest of the country?
Oh, are these muslims that are rioting? NBC News called them "French youths".
>>Ethnic civil war or Muslims gone wild??
Why is this an either/or question?
"Why talk to the press? They only paint a negative picture of Muslims here"
- This comment from a muslim as muslim rioters smash wndows, hurl firebombs, set fires, burn cars and fire weapons at police and firemen. Yeah...I'm all up in tears over the press painting a negative picture of Muslims.
The United States LIBERALS might be forced to cancel their travel plans to France. I wonder how Johnny Depp's doing over there?
When you let all those Mooselimbs in your country you must expect to get the horn. Just more proof that socialism does not work for anyone.
Its not Islams fault............
It NEVER IS..........its always the Jews, or the Americans, or the British, or the Hindu, etc.etc.etc.
How many places in the world with riots or terrorism, where the Muslims are NOT involved? (But it is never their fault!)
It's a quagmire!
So you don't think that there is even a small component of radical Islam fueling these riots?
Can we hope for a more right-wing government in France? One that's not afraid to get tough on Muslims?
ARTHUR: O Knights of Ni, we have brought you your shrubbery. May we go now?
HEAD KNIGHT: It is a good shrubbery. I like the laurels particularly,... but there is one small problem.
"the banlieu youths; immigrant boys with their hoods pulled over their heads, who stand defiantly in the middle of the street, yelling “come on then! Come on if you dare!” at the riot squad facing them."
I would..and we have to...
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