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?'"
Note this comment:
'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."'
As if the Muslim rioters are interested in a "fairer, more fraternal society"!!
Note this comment:
'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."'
As if the Muslim rioters are interested in a "fairer, more fraternal society"!!
And then there will be an outcry from every imam and Muslim organization in the world over "profiling" and "unfair treatment" and "not honoring their civil rights".
They should be told their "perfect example, Muhammad" led them into this, let the sick stick get them out.
Mais oui.
Profiling? Send Kerry over there. He'll put a stop to profiling.
ROFL!! That's the only way they'll ever be Grande Americanos....... though most of them prefer any coffee drink that does not have 'Americano' in the name!!
Fred's right too. They are trying to get Sarkozy.
By the way, does Bjork have a cute sister or am I gonna have to wait for her?
þú ert velkominn, Gerðu svo vel
Mistaken?
Sarkozy takes a strong public stance against muslim crime in france, is awarded prizes/accolades for his views on anti-semitism, while Chirac sells his soul to the arabs and saddam, and supports the poor poor 'palestinians'... and you cannot see the CONFLICT between the protagonists?
One MUST fall. Chirac must cling to power - he is corrupt, if an honest man were to take over his position, Chirac might be exposed. IMO. This man ALLOWED Paris/France to burn.
Islam is playing the game in France to perfection. Compromise the opponent, then reel him in. Chirac made the classic Faustian bargain. Now they want the soul of france.
de villepin is the Chirac clone.
I'm going to call it a night, thanks to everybody who has posted, and we will find out the total damage tonight in France from the press reports tomorrow.
Almost 3:00 AM in Paris.
As the rioter said, calling them "scum" is a declaration of war.
Accordingly, a desecration of these gravestones...these crosses...will cause a new Crusade, a different kind of Crusade.
I think if Chirac lets it burn, his party is toast. My wife is in Paris and in a suburb just north this week (out of harms way, knock on wood) and every French citizen she's talked to wants the military engaged NOW. These muslims are given every French socialist treat and my wife says people are sick of them. That doesn't bode well for Chirac; what a dimwit.
Good Lord! That's frightening........
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.
One thing that kept running through my mind while I was taking my break was the concept of tribalism. I decided I'd look up the word to see if it might have some meaning about what was happening in Paris. Here's the definition: trib·al·ism ( P ) Pronunciation Key (trb-lzm) n. The organization, culture, or beliefs of a tribe. A strong feeling of identity with and loyalty to one's tribe or group.
How can these youth be loyal to the country of their birth when they grow up raised to identify and be loyal to the tribe of their fathers. Same with their cries of racism, they're the ones that set themselves apart because rather than identify with the french, they're still loyal to their fathers beliefs.
"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.
And there it is in black and white. Their parents have never worked and so therefore the younger wouldn't even know how to begin to find employment.
They riot about their marginal place in French society but by the very description of tribalism, they owe their loyalty to the way the tribe has always done things. Of course they have only a marginal place in French society since it appears they refuse to be a part of that society since it doesn't fit in with their concept of loyalty to their tribe. Remember, they're too busy honoring and being loyal to the tribe originally from the North and from Africa. They also are too busy being loyal to a religion which promotes hatred and whose very nature keeps them oppressed.
So because we aren't members of their tribe and many of us actually despise the things their tribalism stands for then they riot and destroy our automobiles. They break our laws. They thumb their noses at our police. And yes, I know this is happening in France and not stateside. How long before this appears in our own neighborhoods?
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.
I'm sure having Sarkozy resign is going to help integrate these tribal people into France./sarc These idiots are scum and it's about time someone who heard a duck, watched it walk like a duck and saw it looked like a duck; call it a duck!
Let's see, they've played the racism card, the poor me - I have no job card, the I don't fit in card, the poor persecuted me - I was harassed by the police because I broke some silly law card. What card did I miss?
A slap on the hand, a meeting between their leaders and the French, resignation of Sarkozy and symbolic measures aren't going to work. That's like trying to explain to a toddler why they shouldn't run out into the street in front of oncoming cars. The scum need to be taught firmly what behavior is tolerated and that which isn't should be met with the full letter of the law. Throw the book at the idiots.
"I think if Chirac lets it burn, his party is toast..."
I think you can use past tense on that one. On day three, the police were asking for help from the military, saying they were hopelessly outnumbered. Now it's day eleven, and still no military help. Thirty police shot at and wounded, two policewomen bashed.
Can you imagine that going on in the US?
Yeah, I'm guessing they're cuckoo for French Roast.
I suggest the question is not whether Chirac or Sarkozy will win. The question is "will right win out."
In the end, the high road is the only road to take.
There is a vacuum of leadership...who will fill the void?
And with regard to " þú ert velkominn, Gerðu svo vel"...just because I know love doesn't mean I know all languages. But I do know art. And here is the face of one facet of it...
Thanks, I seem to be a lone tree falling in the forest.
'night Dane...
Thanks for your hard work in putting up and maintaining this thread.
'night Dane...
Thanks for your hard work in putting up and maintaining this thread.
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