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

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.

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?'"

Hi, all, one more post before I have to make dinner. I won't be able to do much tomorrow--have work, but I will keep contributing when I can.

Mark Steyn writes a great article: "Wake up Europe: You've a war on your hands."

It's posted at LGF:

http://littlegreenfootballs.com/weblog/?entry=18135&only

However, if the following French blog is any indication, even after what will soon be two full weeks of this, France is not waking up.

Here's a blog from what appears to be a young French woman. She claims the Army is there and is going about in groups of three and breaking up demonstrations. She also claims that reports of Paris being "in flames" are "greatly exaggerated."

http://cocovin.blogspot.com/2005/11/paris-feu-et-sang.html

Here is her blog, I've translated it the best I could. I'm sorry, I don't have time for fancy html to put my English in a different color. Then I'd have to totally format the post. :)

I hope to find more French blogs. There must be some people on the scene posting about what is going on.

Hier, il y avait l'Armée à Paris, les parisiens sont en sécurité. Ils sont sur secteur avec mitraillette à l'épaule par groupe de 3... Toujours, ils sont pars groupe de 3. Je ne sais pas trop pourquoi, enfin, en y réfléchissant, je sais: pendant qu'il y en a un qui interpelle un mec, l'autre le pointe avec son arme et le troisième dispersa la foule. Toute une tactique, l'Armée!!

Yesterday, the ARmy was in Paris. Parisians are safe. They were on the scene with machine guns at their shoulders, in groups of three. They always go out in groups of three. I don't know why, yesterday, finally, but thinking about it, I know this: while there is one who stops a guy, the other points to him with his gun, and the third disperses the crowd. Quite the tactic, Army!

J'ai surfé un peu, et c'est assez intéressant de voir comment les étrangers (blogueurs, journalistes) se représentent et analysent les émeutes. Dans l'ensemble, tous s'accrochent au fameux "Paris brûle-t-il?"[« 7th night of riot in Paris », « Fiery riots in Paris »]. Déjà, Paris n'est pas touché, mais sa banlieue [« Paris suburb »]! Pas de crainte pour les touristes!

I've surfed a bit, and it's pretty interesting to see comments by foreign bloggers and journalists, analyzing these riots. They are all hooked on the famous: "is Paris burning" question?

Beaucoup font des rapprochement (comme ils peuvent) avec mai 68... Sauf que mai 68 c'était des étudiants et des ouvriers. D'autres aussi parlent d'un soulèvement musulman, voire islamiste. Enfin, pas mal d'analyste parlent d'une Intifada. En faisant un rapprochement douteux entre la visite d'Ariel Sharon sur l'esplanade des Mosquées et la visite de Nicolas Sarkozy à Argenteuil... C'est vrai, ils ont à peu près la même rhétorique guerrière et la même façon d'agir (provocation extrémistes...), mais bon...

Many are making comparisons (as best they can) with May of 68. Except May of 68 was students and workers. Others talk about a Muslim/Islamist uprising. Many analysts talk about an Intidfada. In making a doubtful connection between the visit of Ariel Sharon on the Mosquees esplanade and the visit of Nicolas Sarkozy in Argenteuil... It's true. they have almost been talking of war, and even to the point of making extreme provocations, but you know what?...

Bref, Paris ne brûle pas, pas encore.

To make a long story short: Paris isn't burning, not yet.

Comments:
2 alice said... Heuresement que Paris ne brule pas!!!!!!!!!! parce qu'imagine, toutes les personnes se rebellent et pètent des trucs partout en Région Parisienne!!!!! Ce s'rait le zouk.

Yay! Paris isn't burning!!!!! Because think of it, all the people rebelling and vandalizing the Parisian metro area: it would be a real party.

3. museful said... J'ai vu aussi un journal anglais mettre Paris à côté de l'Espagne je crois....

I also saw an English newspaper compare Paris to Spain, I think.

French rioters open fire on police, 10 hurt
06 Nov 2005 22:13:42 GMT
Source: Reuters
(Adds detail, background)

GRIGNY, France, Nov 6 (Reuters) - Rioters fired shots at police in an 11th night of riots in France on Sunday, injuring 10 policemen, two of them seriously, police said.
Some 200 youths were lobbing stones and other objects at police in Grigny, south of Paris, a police spokesman said, adding that some of the rioters had fired at officers with shotguns, hitting 10 policemen.
Two officers were being treated in hospital, one with lead shot wounds to the throat, the other with wounds to a leg.
Asked whether the rioters could have killed someone, the spokesman said: "Probably not at this distance, but they could have caused bad injuries, or turn one of the officers blind."
The fresh violence came just hours after President Jacques Chirac vowed to restore order, making his first public comments since the riots started in Paris's poor suburbs on Oct. 27.
"The Republic is quite determined, by definition, to be stronger than those who want to sow violence or fear," Chirac said after a domestic security council met to respond to the violence in which thousands of cars have gone up in flames.
"The law must have the last word," Chirac said.
Rioting began with the accidental electrocution of two youths apparently fleeing police. Their deaths ignited frustration among ethnic minorities over racism, unemployment, police treatment and their marginal place in French society.

The riots have spread from Paris's bleak suburbs to other French cities. Towns such as Toulouse, Nantes and Strasbourg were hit by violence on Sunday

The above latest from Reuters.

Link

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