Posted on 10/25/2006 1:40:59 AM PDT by Republicain
AULNAY-SOUS-BOIS, France, Oct 25, 2006 (AFP) - A year after one of the most traumatic episodes in modern France, the conditions that touched off three weeks of suburban rioting remain firmly in place and there is widespread fear that a new outburst is only a question of time.
In the seedy "Cite des 3,000" estate in Aulnay-sous-Bois in the northeastern outskirts of Paris -- not far from the starting-point of the riots -- the same idle young men slouch against the walls, smoking cannabis, watching motorbikes make wheelies and eyeing passing cars for police.
Across the dual-carriageway a Renault garage that was burned out on day seven of the disturbances is still in ruins, and several families of gypsies have parked their caravans in the forecourt.
"Has anything changed? Look around you -- we're all still here. Nothing to do -- no jobs, and the police still harassing us," said Kiko, 23, who has just emerged from serving a jail sentence for fraud.
"I don't know when, but something is bound to blow up again. You get to the point where you don't care. It all builds up, and then you burst," said Ahmed, 22.
With the approach of the October 27 anniversary on Friday of the outbreak of the violence, a chorus of voices has been raised to warn of the inertia that still dogs French policy towards the "banlieues" -- the poor out-of-town neighbourhoods where black and Arab-origin communities are concentrated.
Police have raised the alarm over a recent string of ambushes in the Paris outskirts -- the latest on Sunday when a bus was torched -- and say they are increasingly the targets of physical attacks. "It's like they want to kill," said Bruno Beschizza of the Synergie officers union.
Associations working with young "banlieusards" say their sense of alienation remains as strong as ever, fed by racial discrimination, poor housing and a rate of joblessness that hits 40 percent in some areas.
"Let's be realistic, we are still sitting on a powder keg," said Manuel Valls, the socialist mayor of Evry south of the capital.
Last year the powder keg exploded after the accidental deaths of two teenagers who hid from police in an electrical sub-station. In the following days rioting in Clichy-sous-Bois spread to other Paris suburbs, and then to towns and cities across France.
Day after day France was the top international news story, as audiences around the world watched television pictures of burning cars and schools, dramatic evidence of the failure of the country's "Republican" model of integration.
The violence ebbed after the government of President Jacques Chirac declared a state of emergency -- a measure not enacted since the Algerian war half a century earlier -- but by November 17, when normality resumed, more than 10,000 cars had been destroyed and 300 buildings damaged by fire.
Badly shaken by the crisis, the government promised conciliatory measures such as an extra 100 million euros (125 million dollars) for local associations, more places on training schemes and a new agency to fight discrimination in the workplace.
In March it pushed through parliament an Equal Opportunities Law enshrining many of these ideas and also including a radical new measure to loosen the conditions under which young people are hired and fired.
The aim of the First Employment Contract (CPE) was to provide jobs in the "banlieues" -- but it was abandoned after a wave of protests by mainly middle-class students who feared it would damage prospects for stable employment.
With six months to go to France's presidential election, the festering situation in the "banlieues" is certain to be one of the main campaign themes.
The opposition Socialist Party accuses Interior Minister and presidential hopeful Nicolas Sarkozy of being part of the problem -- because of his poisonous reputation in the "banlieues" and his uncompromising line on law and order.
Sarkozy retorts that it is left-wing welfare policies of 30 years that have led to the crisis -- and that a liberalised economy combined with positive discrimination is the only way to provide jobs and hope.
In the "Cite des 3000" there is little appetite for a new flare-up of rioting to mark the October 27 anniversary -- but if Sarkozy is elected that could be another matter.
"Sarko is the provocative element," said Kiko. "And if he is elected next year I warn you: people will be killed."
Ce Ping est pour vous
Ping
The le Report is not very honest in that the "riots" never really subsided. They are STILL getting many cars burned each week and more and more french policemen being attacked and injured in the neighborhoods. The problem is STILL as volitile as ever.
What is your opinion on these riots? Is it Islam-based, race-based, some combination of the two, or another factor? Eurotwit was already asked in another thread.
OK, where's the French Foreign Legion when you need them?
It's not race based. Is it islam-based ? Yes and no. Yes because the majority of the rioters are muslims and because a lot of them are not more or less indifferent to islamists' propaganda. No because it's not a 'jihadist' fight. It's a 'low intensity war' between the French State (via the police) and groups of jobless, deliquent and violent 'youths' for the control of territories (the 'no-go zones'). And why do the 'youths' want to control 'their' territories ? Two reasons. First, to control safe areas for their criminal activities (drug dealing, traffics, robberies, even prostitution...). Second, to impose their laws on the population by the fear. And amongst these 'criminal laws', islamists try to impose their own laws, the Sharia. So, it's a mix of criminality and religious extremism.
France has already accepted an Islamic takeover. Besides, in their bigoted minds, the French see one good thing coming out of this -- their country soon will be free of "Joooos".
And a fanatic, insatiable, genocidal hatred of Jews is something both the Islamofascist "youths" and a majority of the French people agree on.
I'm always astonished by the arrogance of the ignorants...
I suspect the depraved mullahs are feeding their victimhood and hatred instead of providing leadership and self examination.
'Self examination' is always antinomical to extremism.
"Sarko is the provocative element," said Kiko. "And if he is elected next year I warn you: people will be killed."
Well, here's to hoping Kiko's prediction comes true--the French will start using BULLETS to defend themselves and will kill some of these "disaffected youth."
Reap what ya sow there frenchy.
Last year you should have shot to kill anyone seen torching vehicles and deported back to from whatever rock the supporters came from and that would have stopped it.
Now instead your vaunted cops are targeted while cars still are torched.
But hey your most wonderful f-ing butt kissing culture will win the day.
Yeah right.
Would you be in favor of a civil war in the USA ? I don't hope so. So why should we (the French) be in favor of a civil war in France ? We actually live in a 'low intensity civil war' and we try to avoid a 'high intensity civil war'. It will be a tough fight, take a long time (10 years ? 20 years ?) and, moreover, need a lot of self-control from the french authorities and the french population. There are no easy solutions, like you seem to imagine. And we don't have the right to fail for West's future and stability.
SO then let the criminals keep torching property and atacking cops.
You are right. sounds great.
You wouldn't want to do what the Spanish fianlly did and throw the mooselimbs out. Nahhh.
30% of the French Army is Moslem. Who would they be shooting?
Nobody wants to let criminals (muslims or not) do what they want. But the alernatives are not "weakness and laissez-faire" or "deportation and extermination". As almost always, the truth is in the middle. The real weakness is to believe that there are easy solutions to difficult issues.
We are not at all in the Spain's 15's century situation. Of course, history should be a source of lessons, but not a source of irrational fears and inappropriate solutions.
Hopefully, French Army is not involved in the actual situation. And not at all necessary. France have enough policemen, CRS (anti-riot police) and gendarmes to deal with banlieues'problems. And 30 % of muslims in French Army seems to me far different from reality. The source of your datas ?
"30% of the French Army is Moslem. Who would they be shooting?"
Those who are attacking police officers. They should be shot dead if they threaten the police in any way. I don't care if 30% are Muslim, they have a duty to defend and protect the French people. If they can't do that, they should be relieved of duty immediately and prosecuted. I never hear this argument made about Christian police officers or soldiers.
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