Posted on 11/07/2005 5:48:46 PM PST by blam
Leaders fiddle as France burns
By Colin Randall in Paris
(Filed: 08/11/2005)
France was struggling to overcome one of its gravest post-war crises last night as every major city faced the threat of fierce rioting that began 12 nights ago and now seems to have spun out of control.
More than 1,400 vehicles were destroyed during a night of increasing violence
Despite an assurance from Philippe Douste Blazy, the foreign minister, that France was "not a dangerous country", the spread of violence prompted the Foreign Office in London to warn travellers that trouble could break out "almost anywhere".
Dominique de Villepin, the beleaguered prime minister, announced that officials in riot-hit areas would be authorised to impose late-night curfews "wherever it is necessary" in a bid to halt the disturbances.
He rejected calls by a police union for troops to be sent in but said that 1,500 reservists were being called up and repeated an appeal to parents to keep adolescent rioters off the streets.
Although the disorder began on the intimidating sink estates of Paris's northern suburbs, trouble had been reported yesterday in the early hours from most regions of the country. Even areas such as Brittany, the Loire and Bordeaux, favoured by British holidaymakers and second- home hunters, have now been drawn into the worst wave of unrest in France since the spring revolt of 1968 set in motion the downfall of Gen Charles de Gaulle.
Yesterday the violence also claimed its first life. A 61-year-old man died in hospital three days after being beaten unconscious when he left his home in a northern Paris suburb intending to stop rubbish bins being set on fire.
Even before renewed disturbances broke out last night, figures showed that rioters had wrecked 4,700 vehicles, injured more than 100 police and rescue workers, and opened fire in at least six separate incidents.
Of the 1,200 people arrested, more than 30 - half of them juveniles - have already been jailed or given youth custody.
Rioters have targeted schools, churches and public buildings
The police union Action Police CFTC called for curfews to be imposed in all riot-hit areas to combat the "civil war that spreads a little more every day". The mayor of one town, Raincy, north of Paris, announced a late-night street ban on children to "avoid a tragedy". The union also urged the government to send in troops to defeat the trouble-makers, mainly mobs of young people from poor estates dominated by Muslim families whose origins are in France's former colonies in north and sub-Saharan Africa.
Twenty-four hours earlier, a belated and much-criticised intervention by President Jacques Chirac, his first since the violence began, was followed by the worst night of rioting so far.
More than 1,400 vehicles were destroyed, two policemen were injured by birdshot and petrol bomb attacks were launched on schools, churches and public buildings.
Mr Chirac, who had spoken of a French republic resolved to show itself "stronger than those who want to sow violence or fear", made more conciliatory comments in a private meeting yesterday.
President Vaira Vike-Freiberga of Latvia said the French president had admitted to him that "ghettoisation of youths of African or North African origin" was to be deplored, as was French society's "incapacity to fully accept them".
Pascal Clement, the justice minister, announced that three boys, aged 16, had been detained in the southern city of Aix-en-Provence for allegedly using their weblogs, hosted by a pop music radio station, to urge others to riot.
Police claim that ringleaders of the disturbances, which began in the northern Paris surburb of Clichy-sous-Bois on Oct 27 after two boys were accidentally electrocuted while apparently running from police, have become increasingly organised.
The Foreign Office yesterday warned Britons already in France or considering travelling there that the unrest could now break out "almost anywhere".
The new travel advisory painted a much more alarming picture of the threat to British citizens than a similar bulletin issued on Sunday.
Britons should also "avoid any demonstrations which may be taking place in and around" areas affected by the riots, said the Foreign Office website.
Me too...pass the popcorn.
USA, Canada, etc ....
Imagine the reaction of the 'public' when it reaches the point where it is obvious, then the media starts changing it's story again.
Makes one ask of the MSM, 'do you guys ever leave the building?'
Sad, but necessary. This is going propel the conservatives in France into power.
RE: But there's no De Gaulle waiting in the wings to save the French from their own imbecility.
Don't be so sure. We simply have not heard who it is yet. My one fear - not if but when the backlash gets going, we end up with Islamonazis being crushed, but at the price of old fashioned French Nazis running France. Of course this would be worst case. A far better case would be a more authoritarian, De Gaulle like figure, but one who still did not overturn the republican system per se. A culture change without a complete system change, so to speak.
If this was happening in America, we would be standing armed, by our cars. I think this is an overpopulation problem, like the whole of Arabia who refuse to procreate responsibly. These Musliims come in, they get decent jobs, and then have 16 children. Nobody can garner enough property and success, coming from a third world country, to pass on a means of wealth to 16 children. Not even possible in America.
On the twelfth day of riots, the towelheads gave to me:
Twelve petrol bomb cans;
Eleven flaming Renaults;
Ten burning busses;
Nine Burka’d ladies;
Eight Imams praying;
Seven intafadas;
Six checkered kaftas;
Five WMD’s;
Four fatwa bans;
Three henchmen;
Two RPG’s;
And a Jihadist in gay Paree.
Let me rephrase that. The conservatives *must* gain power. For nature abhors a vacuum. If the conservatives do not gain power, there are others of a more extreme orientation who will eventually be able to gain the support of the police and the army. They could seize power outright. Do not underestimate the potential for extreme swings toward procrustean thinking, even in decadent, secular France. Imagine how shocked people were at the demise of the Weimar Republic.
man, a bunch of illiterate muslims have wreaked more havoc and destruction on France than the Nazi's did. But hey, France sure built lots of pretty monuments and museums with all the money saved by having the US military provide all its protection all these years.
Yummy! Thanks.
I said it a couple days ago. Time to take Notre Dame down piece by piece & the art from the Louvre and move it all somewhere safe like the US or Poland.
man, I really don't understand why that didn't stop this........
The French are appeasers. The leaders in charge believe if they come down hard on the rioters they will have riots in the streets.
Time for a crusade, to protect them where they are now. I'm not kidding.
Thanks. I was afraid I made the Mona Lisa insertion a bit too subtle.....
Man, you're a riot! ROTFL!
When we landed at Charles DeGalle airport there were about 50 guys in white robes bowing to the east on a nearby knoll. It wasn't the FIRST thing I expected to see on my first visit to Paris. That was eight years ago.
I see the muslims are torching Strasbourg. That really hurts. Was one of the nicest places in Europe I visited. Beautiful wine country and town. How sad.
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