compare what's happening in france to what happened in N'awlins after katrina..those neighborhoods in N'awlins that made a show of force..i.e., armed neighbors protecting their property didn't have a problem with looting..some looters that decided to test the waters soon had a dirt nap delivered to them..and their friends beat a hasty retreat..
in paris, no one is protecting themselves..they're all looking to a chickensh*t gov't to bail them out..thus the cars continuously are burned..the police are being shot at, innocent bystanders being mained and/or killed..
I think you're exactly right. The local government failed to protect the people in New Orleans, but enough citizens grabbed their guns and protected themselves, so that the looting didn't last too long. The French, on the other hand, held a silent march.