And I found myself thinking this symbolic gesture:
I really do wonder how many times the idea has been broached to call in the US military.
My prayer for all of the innocent children who are living in these riot/war conditions.
Posted on 11/06/2005 5:07:47 AM PST by Dane
Thousand cars torched in latest French riots Sun Nov 6, 2005 12:17 PM GMT
By Elisabeth Pineau
PARIS (Reuters) - Gangs of youths torched 1,300 vehicles overnight in the 10th consecutive night of violence in Paris's poor suburbs and major French towns, despite the deployment of thousands of extra police.
Cars were burnt out in the historic centre of Paris for the first time on Saturday night. In the normally quiet Normandy town of Evreux, a shopping mall, 50 vehicles, a post office and two schools went up in flames.
Authorities have so far found no way beyond appeals and more police to address a problem with complex social, economic and racial causes.
Evreux mayor Jean-Louis Debre, a confidant of President Jacques Chirac and speaker of the lower house of parliament, told France Info radio:
"To those responsible for the violence, I want to say: Be serious ... If you want to live in a fairer, more fraternal society, this is not how to go about it."
The deaths 10 days ago of two youths apparently fleeing police ignited pent up frustrations among young men, many of them Muslims of North and black African origin, at racism, unemployment, their marginal place in French society and their treatment by the police.
"Many youths have never seen their parents work and couldn't hold down a job if they got one," said Claude Chevallier, manager of a burned-out carpet depot in the rundown Paris suburb of Aulnay-sous-Bois.
But authorities now say the rolling nightly riots are being organised via the Internet and mobile phones, and have pointed the finger at drug traffickers and Islamist militants.
Overnight, 1,295 vehicles were torched across France, the highest total so far, police said. An extra 2,300 officers have been drafted in.
Seven police helicopters buzzed over the Paris region through the night, filming disturbances and directing mobile squads to incidents. Overnight, police made 349 arrests.
The number of incidents in the Paris region was similar to the night before, but in the provinces it was up sharply.
TARNISHED IMAGE
The violence has tarnished France's image abroad, forcing Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin to cancel a trip to Canada, while Russia and the United States have warned their citizens to avoid Paris's troubled suburbs.
Villepin has combined a call for an end to the riots with dialogue with community leaders, youngsters and local officials, and has promised an action plan for 750 tough neighbourhoods.
"I'll make proposals as early as this week," the weekly Journal du Dimanche quoted him as saying.
But it remained unclear what could stop the violence, though some opposition parties have suggested a symbolic measure -- the resignation of Interior Minister Nicolas Sarkozy.
Accused of stoking passions by calling troublemakers "scum", Sarkozy has ignored calls to quit. A survey published on Sunday indicated his public image was holding up, even if many disapproved of his strong language.
Villepin also has ambitions to be the right wing's presidential candidate in 2007 and has tried to position himself as a much more consensual figure than Sarkozy; the effect on the crisis on his ratings is still unclear.
With no end in sight to the nights of wailing sirens, acrid smoke, stone-throwing and destruction, residents from all ethnic backgrounds are tiring of the unrest.
"My kids can't sleep at night," said a mother named Samia in Aulnay-sous-Bois. "They hear explosions, they see fires and they think they're in a war. When the slightest thing happens, they get anxious and say 'Mama, what's going on?'"
"Israel is a case study in how not to deal with Muslims. - Tom"
You forgot to mention the fact that Israel has had pressure from the US and the UN to behave in a PC manner towards the muslims.
The time is upon the civilized world to act to destroy islam or we will be past the point of stopping this disease.
Okay I'm drunk and I only got to 5...now what??
Time to start calling these "youts" what they really are.
"To those responsible for the violence, I want to say: Be serious ... If you want to live in a fairer, more fraternal society, this is not how to go about it."
If Mr Rogers was Mayor -
To those responsible for the violence, I want to say: I AM serious - the military has been deployed with 12-gauge shotguns and orders to shoot to kill.
Guess that's why I live in Arizona instead of France...
As I recall, the French left early for the second world war and surrendered half their country without a fight through traitorous Vicy collaboraters. They never even showed up for the third world war, going on now.
I remember in Paris back in '97, during the era of street bombings, and the troops patrolling some of the subway stations could have passed for SS stormtroopers: shaved blond heads, tall, well built.
France could take the Muzzies pretty quickly (as of today) if they really wanted to. It will be interesting to see if the far right becomes ascendent.
Our interest in France falling, is the hundreds of atomic bombs that France has in its possession. - Tom
I heard an explaination from a WWII veteran:
All of the brave souls in France died in WWII...this left only the genes of cowards to be reproduced.
Almost 4:00 PM in Paris, dusk in an hour or so. Looks liek another busy night for the firemen in France again tonight.
So okay, Capt...I hear you clear and bright.
What I'm not seeing through all the smirkiness, not that there's anything wrong with that, is suppose it comes to that? Does anyone think this rioting will stop eventually? OR, unfettered, will the rioting become a takeover of the country?
For now we've all been talking amongst ourselves and enjoying the schoenfroid we all deserve after dealing with France all these years.
I'm asking, do you suppose our military is now considering their options? Hell's bells, we don't like France but do we want those kooks taking over? OR am I over-reacting and it'll never come to this?
Your sig line is a concise thing of beauty.
And I found myself thinking this symbolic gesture:
I really do wonder how many times the idea has been broached to call in the US military.
My prayer for all of the innocent children who are living in these riot/war conditions.
What happens to "youths" who are arrested? Are they detained? If so, where is Amnesty International and the European Court of Justice? (sarcasm, obviousy) Is it possible they're being released in time for the next night's activity?
Response: A symptom of the problem, "...with dialogue with community leaders..." Dialogue, debate, discussion, the airing of different points of view. One does not discuss one commands. See how sick the West is.
The complex social, economic and racial causes are nothing less than the current islamic imperial colonization of Europe. The French are too blind in their arrogance to comprehend that their country is being stolen from under their own noses.
That's a mighty big 'if'.
If you want to live in a fairer, more fraternal society, this is not how to go about it."
Put the kids in charge, then. At least they know what's going on.
Good point.
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