Posted on 11/06/2005 5:07:47 AM PST by Dane
Thousand cars torched in latest French riots Sun Nov 6, 2005 12:17 PM GMT
By Elisabeth Pineau
PARIS (Reuters) - Gangs of youths torched 1,300 vehicles overnight in the 10th consecutive night of violence in Paris's poor suburbs and major French towns, despite the deployment of thousands of extra police.
Cars were burnt out in the historic centre of Paris for the first time on Saturday night. In the normally quiet Normandy town of Evreux, a shopping mall, 50 vehicles, a post office and two schools went up in flames.
Authorities have so far found no way beyond appeals and more police to address a problem with complex social, economic and racial causes.
Evreux mayor Jean-Louis Debre, a confidant of President Jacques Chirac and speaker of the lower house of parliament, told France Info radio:
"To those responsible for the violence, I want to say: Be serious ... If you want to live in a fairer, more fraternal society, this is not how to go about it."
The deaths 10 days ago of two youths apparently fleeing police ignited pent up frustrations among young men, many of them Muslims of North and black African origin, at racism, unemployment, their marginal place in French society and their treatment by the police.
"Many youths have never seen their parents work and couldn't hold down a job if they got one," said Claude Chevallier, manager of a burned-out carpet depot in the rundown Paris suburb of Aulnay-sous-Bois.
But authorities now say the rolling nightly riots are being organised via the Internet and mobile phones, and have pointed the finger at drug traffickers and Islamist militants.
Overnight, 1,295 vehicles were torched across France, the highest total so far, police said. An extra 2,300 officers have been drafted in.
Seven police helicopters buzzed over the Paris region through the night, filming disturbances and directing mobile squads to incidents. Overnight, police made 349 arrests.
The number of incidents in the Paris region was similar to the night before, but in the provinces it was up sharply.
TARNISHED IMAGE
The violence has tarnished France's image abroad, forcing Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin to cancel a trip to Canada, while Russia and the United States have warned their citizens to avoid Paris's troubled suburbs.
Villepin has combined a call for an end to the riots with dialogue with community leaders, youngsters and local officials, and has promised an action plan for 750 tough neighbourhoods.
"I'll make proposals as early as this week," the weekly Journal du Dimanche quoted him as saying.
But it remained unclear what could stop the violence, though some opposition parties have suggested a symbolic measure -- the resignation of Interior Minister Nicolas Sarkozy.
Accused of stoking passions by calling troublemakers "scum", Sarkozy has ignored calls to quit. A survey published on Sunday indicated his public image was holding up, even if many disapproved of his strong language.
Villepin also has ambitions to be the right wing's presidential candidate in 2007 and has tried to position himself as a much more consensual figure than Sarkozy; the effect on the crisis on his ratings is still unclear.
With no end in sight to the nights of wailing sirens, acrid smoke, stone-throwing and destruction, residents from all ethnic backgrounds are tiring of the unrest.
"My kids can't sleep at night," said a mother named Samia in Aulnay-sous-Bois. "They hear explosions, they see fires and they think they're in a war. When the slightest thing happens, they get anxious and say 'Mama, what's going on?'"
I have no pity left for the French and their post-modernist allies. They are merely reaping what they planted.
;-) Truth is so simple.
You are right. Unfortunately the "civilized" world won't do this. If it happened here we wouldn't either, at least not our government.
Can't we all just get along?
Say what you want about Mexicans, they have a hard work ethic and would rather work for $$$ than blow up cars.
Even if the French killed that many rather than arresting them, the Muslims would simply outbreed the casualty rate.
Sounds like the 'Libs', group hugs everyone!
France's problem from 1870 to 1919 was not lack of courage. Quite the contrary, they elevated "elan" to ridiculous levels over common sense and tactical understanding. They they swung 180 degrees the other way. But the French army at Dienbienphu and in Algeria gave em hell. I'd get in a foxhole with those guys any day.
Identified in other articles as the French Communist Party and the Green Party, which is possibly what Sarkozy is referring to when he says these riots are "organized" -- the commies know how to throw a good riot.
In his book "Death Of The West" Pat Buchannan writes about how Moslem populations will change Western Europe. It is already happening. And Europeans being sheep are too stupid to see what is happening and are trying to appease these Monsters. We can also see what Socialist Policies are doing, making economic failures worse. The Social Welfare policies of France have removed the dignity of work and self determination. Return to a more free Market economy and see the improvement in the lives of their people. France is a mess. Its leaders are corrupt and cowards. Another example of Socialism's failures to deliver the goods.
This is what the Demorats want to bring here to the US. Where are all the Demorats including Misseur Kerry intoning how Wonderful France is? Send in the Legion and crush the Intifida in France.
Amen!
Huh??? I was quaking in my shoes reading that. They are really serious now!
Haven't read that but have read recently:
"The West's Last Chance" Blankley
http://www.overstock.com/cgi-bin/d2.cgi?PAGE=PRODUCT&PROD_ID=1533285&cid=64664&fp=F
and
"New Glory" Peters
http://www.overstock.com/cgi-bin/d2.cgi?page=proframe&prod_id=1407425
Peters book opens with something similar were seeing right now the past 10 ten days.
Also last night the LA Times reported that 11 cars were torched near the Gare du Nord(North Train Station).
Map of Paris below.
Republique is to the right of the Louvre and Gare Du Nord is directly north.
You made your bed by allowing the dregs of humanity to pour into your country.
Do not ask for help... do it your damn self.
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