Posted on 11/09/2005 6:30:37 PM PST by ncountylee
PARIS, Nov 10 (Reuters) - Hundreds of cars were burnt in France overnight in riots after the government imposed emergency measures aimed at halting two weeks of unrest rooted in discontent over conditions in poor suburbs.
French police said at 1 a.m. (0000 GMT) on Thursday they had arrested 143 people and 280 cars were burnt, compared to 139 people arrested and 327 cars burnt at the same time the previous night.
But they said there were no reports of injuries and an official at police headquarters said the trend was "positive". More than 1,400 cars were burnt overnight on Sunday, police said.
France imposed emergency measures on Wednesday in 38 suburbs, towns and cities including Marseille, Strasbourg, Lyon, Toulouse and the capital.
Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin published a decree invoking a 50-year-old law that gives regional government officials power to impose nightly curfews against the rioters.
Police arrested at least a dozen people and cars were burnt in the southwestern city of Toulouse after youths clashed with police, local authorities said.
Authorities in Toulouse are yet to take advantage of the measures, which are supported by 73 percent of those surveyed for Le Parisien newspaper.
The violence by white youths as well as French-born citizens of African and Arab origin began in Paris suburbs on Oct. 27 after the deaths of two youngsters apparently fleeing police.
It swiftly turned into a broader protest against racism, police treatment and poor job prospects in tough neighbourhoods.
"TROUBLE SUBSIDING"
Claude Gueant, an aide to Interior Minister Nicolas Sarkozy, said the unrest appeared to have peaked.
"We have reasons to believe that wisdom will prevail in the districts affected by the violence," he told Europe 1 radio.
Authorities in the Paris area where youths have burnt hundreds of cars said Wednesday night
(Excerpt) Read more at alertnet.org ...
Burkas will be all the rage in next springs' French fashion.
The yutes are tired and resting til the weekend.
I don't think that the number of cars burned is a good metric for this.
Surely people who can have moved their cars to safer areas by now. And certiantly those simply sitting about have already been burned.
Good point. Socialist improvement, for sure. Coming to a country near you.
What do you call 10,000 burning Citroens?
Answer: carfew.
The French should look on the bright side. At least with fewer autos competing for the available gas, the price/liter should drop a bit.
You caught this too, huh? It suddenly dawned on the media that they were being prejudice by accusing only the black youths of this crime. It only took the media, 14 days of riots in order for the media to recognize their own racism in how they were reporting this crime.
Seems to me that anyone paying what they pay for gas only to use it to start fires isn't all that poor.
Yes. I, too, have been saying this. And where there are burqas, alcohol and pork product prohibitions, and church closings can't be far behind.
Or they're waiting for the replacement or rental cars to show up. And the new glass for the broken windows of the buildings.
But don't you see, comparativly, it's spring time in Paris.
The French fashion designers put veils and face coverings on the runway models this year but no one took them up on that particular fashion statement. Maybe if they used foot binding and manacles instead,they would get a more positive response from the mainstream media. Who knows what the public is ready to wear.
bump
"Hundreds of cars were burnt in France overnight "
--i suspect this is a riot driven by the SUVs.
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