I haven't seen a photo of the actual suspect,but the papers are reporting him as an illegal immigrant from the Congo, 33 years old. Hardly a "yoot".
As anyone who knows Paris well has observed firsthand, turnstyle jumping is extremely common. It is usually left unchallenged, occasionally, if there is a cop (flic) present, the offender will be stopped, asked for National Identity Card, and given a PV, "proces verbal" the equivalent of a warning ticket. My guess is this offender got violent with the cop and the melee ensued.
Yes, that's right. Disregard for the rules in the Metro is universal among a certain visible class of young people, and some not-so-young like this cretin who started this.
Yes, as I understand it, this congolais charged the police, they hit him, and the band of voyous all around began a general melee.
It has got to stop. These bastards have to be beaten into submission, and it has to be done behind prison walls, where it belongs.
Only Sarkozy or Le Pen will do that, and only Sarkozy is tolerable to most French. It has to be him, now.
What has happened today? I have not seen the news nor spoken with anyone back there yet, and it will be too late when I get home. More unrest, or has the firm hand been clamped down?