Thousand cars torched in latest French riots(Paris/France burns, Live Thread Night #11)

Reuters ^ | 11/06/05 | Elisabeth Pineau

[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?'"

[TFine80]

Cool! I just saw a huge searchlight on the Eiffel tower picture!

[SolomoninSouthDakota]

" The U.S. maintains 11 cemeteries on French soil. I presume they are also protected by the U.S. Military."

I hope we have some Apache or Cobra or whatever our meanest attack machine is standing by at those cemeteries. Not a good time for Muslims to mess with our cemeteries after the Day of the Dead and upcoming Veteran's Day. I think "scum" is a very apt term for the "immigrants"-- the pooooor, downtrodden, helpless, clueless, whining sob's.

[LikeLight]

Another "youth" perp...with a bald spot...

French policemen apprehend a man after a gymnasium was set on fire in the Paris suburb of Noisy Le Grand, early November 6, 2005. Five police officers and three firefighters were injured in the Evreux fires in the tenth night of urban violence as hit-and-run arson attacks escalated in the poor suburbs of France. Gangs of youths torched more than 1,000 vehicles overnight, despite the deployment of thousands of extra police. REUTERS/Franck Prevel

[samtheman]

Well hopefully the new Muslim paradise will ask for a seat at the United Nations.

That's right. What's wrong with two state solutions? France has always been big on supporting those.

In fact, at some point we have to move the discussion to "wiping Paris off the face of the map". France has also been very supportive of that kind of talk, when it comes to Israel.

[LikeLight]

A charred desk is seen inside a police station after arson in Evreux, 96 km (60 miles) west of Paris, November 6, 2005. Five police officers and three fire fighters were injured in the Evreux fires in the 10th night of urban violence in France. Urban violence scaled new heights in France as gangs of youths torched cars, shops and firms in the 10th straight night of violence in poor suburbs of Paris and provincial towns, despite heavy police reinforcements. REUTERS/Victor Tonelli

[mojito]

It doesn't take long to notice the defensive and dreary conformity to the reporting emanating from the MSM: in this preferred scenario, the "youths" are the victims of French (aka white) oppression; hence their behavior is not just legitimate, but ultimately, sensible and just.

[LikeLight]

Residents look at a burnt out commercial centre in Evreux, 96 km (60 miles) west of Paris November 6, 2005.

[LibertyRocks]

An article excerpt for those who may not have seen the info about attacks inside Paris... Interesting quote from one of the rioters - apparently insulting someone is tantamount to a declaration of war...

A country in flames… French cities teeter on the edge of anarchy
News.Telegraph.UK - 11/06/05
Gangs of youths were once again on the rampage across France last night as the guerilla warfare, which has engulfed a string of Paris suburbs for more than a week, took hold in cities throughout the country.
(...) Despite a string of emergency meetings and the drafting of 1,500 members of the CRS riot squads into the Paris suburbs, police and politicians have failed to control the worst violence the city has experienced since the riots of May 1968.
(...) Above one desolate street on the outskirts of Paris, a helicopter clattered but firefighters were forced to watch helplessly as a car burnt itself out. Any attempt to approach it resulted in a terrifying hail of stones, Molotov cocktails and other missiles.
Elsewhere in France, fire officers were pelted with metal petanque balls, car batteries and even cooking pots. (...) Angry youngsters have pledged to keep fighting so their friends did not "die for nothing".
Many of them also blame the tough-talking interior minister, Nicolas Sarkozy, for making matters worse. He has described the rioters as "scum" and threatened to "hose down" the estates to get rid of them.
"He's disrespected us, which is a declaration of war," one young man told the Sunday Telegraph as he surveyed one of Clichy's housing estates that was dotted with piles of ash and broken glass. "Those guys, our friends, died for nothing and we're being dissed. Someone has to say sorry."

[samtheman]

America will not participate in French aggression against Muslims.

Although, to be fair to the French, there has, as yet, been no "aggression against Muslims". I just heard on Fox News that as a result of "discussions", Villipain is going to announce on Monday ways they can help make life better for the "immigrants".

That's an interesting word, "immigrant".

As in: One of the causes of the Fall of Rome was the presence of Visigoth immigrants.

Or: On June 22, 1941, a large group of German Immigrants entered Russia.

Or: In 1991, President Bush decided to act against the large Iraqi Immigrant population in Kuwait.

[LikeLight]

30 police injured . . . per FoxNews . . . by small arms fire just reported . . .

[Ray66]

Remeber everyone this all started on Oct 19th when Sarkozy announced a crackdown which gave the "thugs" a week's notice that the police were coming:

http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L19243562.htm

By Helene Fontanaud

PARIS, Oct 19 (Reuters) - French Interior Minister Nicolas Sarkozy announced a crackdown on urban violence and black marketeers on Wednesday, ordering specially trained police to tackle 25 tough neighbourhoods across the country. Sarkozy, who has clearly stated his ambition to run for president in 2007, also announced plans to combat violence in football stadiums, including greater use of video surveillance and bans on hooligans caught on film.

"This ... is a totally new strategy to push back urban violence and make life possible in a certain number of neighbourhoods where trafficking and the underground economy have infected daily life," Sarkozy said at the launch of his new initiative.

"We absolutely have to re-establish a foothold in these neighbourhoods and obtain results," he said.

And if you are interested in keeping the WIKI correct with the timeline you can go here and update and correct with the correct information:


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2005_Paris_suburb_riots#Timeline

[Publius]

What's wrong with two state solutions? France has always been big on supporting those.

Are you referring to Vichy France and Free France?

[saquin]

Ahhhh. . .please enlighten: FR not a blog, it's a ?

Discussion Forum.

[samtheman]

It would be a trick. They would immediately hand him over to the "youth" in an attempt to further appease them.

[Dane]

Hi LL.

Thanks for scouring the net for the sparse pictures of the riots happening in France. Almost seems there is a blackout of such images.

If 1300 cars(and that what was reported, there could have been more) were deliberately torched in the US with GW Bush as President, do you think there would be such a dearth of images?

Also Chirac finally called an emergency meeting today, a week and a half after the crisis started and not a peep of criticism from the MSM, sheesh the MSM media was wailing about the "lack of response" even before Katrina(a natural disaster) was out of New Orleans.

Shows the MSM liberal bias.

Again thank you for the good work to find the images the MSM does not want us to see about the trouble in the MSM paradise, called France.

[LikeLight]

Corbeil-Essonnes, south of Paris, Sunday, Nov. 6, 2005

[samtheman]

Regarding your point #3. We should definitely disengage from French "intelligence" agencies with all deliberate speed. Any information we share with them is "from our mouth to Bin Laden's ear".

[OKIEDOC]

We have to stop immigration to this country from low class Muslim countries.

Their only allegiance is to their mother country and violent religion.

[samtheman]

I bet 30 shot on sight and 300 deported for violating curfew in each neighborhood might be a better approach.

You're right. But it's not going to happen. I wonder what the Tradesports betting on these subjects is. Probably considered too morbid to be allowed. Also, too unverifiable.

[proud American in Canada]

I believe they are reporting last night's violence. They just mentioned 700 cars in l'Isle de France burned last night.

And yes, I believe that l'Isle de France and the Quartier Madeleine are right in the middle of old Paris. Also l'Orleans--he just said, "the list goes on and on" of places affected. I'm trying to find a map with this on there.

They had an interview with the president of a community association (I think) for l'Isle de France and he too was talking about "listening to the concerns of the youth."

They also mentioned violence in Toulouse--it's in cities on the Mediterranean now.

And as for the quality of the news--it's a headline news station. There's nothing in depth, just sound bites every few minutes, mixed in with sports, etc.

It's amazing.