Paris suburb riots called 'a lot worse' than in 2005

Int'l Herald Tribune/NYT ^ | November 27, 2007 | Elaine Sciolino

[fishhound]

PARIS: The rituals and acts of rage have an eerie sameness to them: roving gangs of angry youths clashing with the riot police in France's edgy suburbs, the government appealing for calm, local officials and residents complaining that their problems are ignored.

Two years after an orgy of violence in which rioters in more than 300 suburbs and towns torched cars, trashed businesses and ambushed the riot police and firefighters, Villiers-le-Bel and several nearby suburbs of Paris similarly have erupted in violence and destruction.

In one sense, the unrest seems to be more menacing than during the early days of the three weeks of rioting in 2005. Then, the youth seemed disorganized, their destruction largely caused by rock-throwing and arson and aimed at the closest and easiest targets, like cars. This time, hunting shotguns, as well as gasoline bombs and rocks, have been turned on the police.

"From what our colleagues on the scene tell us, this is a situation that is a lot worse than what we saw in 2005," Patrice Ribeiro, a police officer and senior union official, told RTL radio Tuesday. He added, "A line was crossed last night, that is to say, they used weapons, they used weapons and fired on the police. This is a real guerrilla war."

Ribeiro warned that the police, who have struggled to avoid excessive force, would not be fired upon indefinitely without responding.

[Sender]

LOL, he looks like he is coming off the catapult too slow...I think he’s gonna stall.

[apocalypto]

Not a time to visit Paris.

[STONEWALLS]

...my sense is that your wife is right...during the Balkan wars I strongly suspected that the socialist-libs were willing to let Malosovich(sp?) play Horatio-at-the-Bridge for eastern Europe....they didn’t want to get their hands dirty but understood that the last time the Muslims got up a head of steam they made it all the way to Budapest...so they let Malosovich engage in a little “cleansing”

[Moonman62]

In one sense, the unrest seems to be more menacing than during the early days of the three weeks of rioting in 2005. Then, the youth seemed disorganized, their destruction largely caused by rock-throwing and arson and aimed at the closest and easiest targets, like cars. This time, hunting shotguns, as well as gasoline bombs and rocks, have been turned on the police.

I wonder if the Muslims are getting help from the political left this time.

[Cicero]

I’m guessing that Sarkozy has been busy with the transport workers’ strike and didn’t have time to change to rules of engagement. Which would mean that they were still following the appeasement rules of the previous government.

Under the previous government, police who defended themselves with their weapons were liable to get into serious trouble.

Now, obviously, the unresolved problem has been brought to Sarkozy’s attention, ready or not, so we’ll see what he does.

[Cicero]

I'm trying to get insurance data regarding the owners and the like, but it may take sometime.

Is it possible to do that? I was just curious about the matter. But looking back at the various riots we have seen around the world in the past 60 years or so, it's typical that rioters burn their own neighborhoods first, before it spreads more widely. The Watts riot, for instance, or the Brooklyn riots under Dinkins.

That kind of riot within a self-contained ghetto seems merely self-destructive, but if nothing is done, it fuels resentments and hatred and contempt for the law, and it will spread, as we saw with the "summer of discontent."

[TASMANIANRED]

Nothing to forgive...

Active deterence works.