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Riots flare for sixth night outside Paris
 Violence has erupted for a sixth night in the troubled suburbs northeast of Paris, with police firing rubber bullets and tear gas as they faced down gangs of youths in Aulnay-sous-Bois. A store was set on fire in the nearby suburb of Bondy, France-Info radio reported on Tuesday. No trouble was immediately reported in Clichy-sous-Bois, where rioting began on Thursday after the accidental deaths of two teenagers. An Associated Press Television news team reported confrontations between about 20 police and 40 youths in Aulnay-sous-Bois, with police firing tear gas and rubber bullets. Youths lobbed Molotov cocktails at an annex to the town hall and threw stones at the firehouse. It was not known whether the clashes led to injuries. Four people were arrested for throwing stones at police in Bondy where 14 cars were burned, the prefecture said. A fire engulfed a carpet store, but it was not known whether the blaze was linked to the suburban unrest. Officials gave an initial count of 69 vehicles torched in nine suburbs across the Seine-Saint-Denis region that arcs around Paris on the north and northeast. The area, home mainly to families of immigrant origin, most of them from Muslim North Africa, is marked by soaring unemployment and delinquency. Officials said "small, very mobile gangs" were harassing police and setting fires to garbage cans and vehicles throughout the region. France-Info said about 150 fires were burning in suburbs of the Seine-Saint-Denis region. Interior Minister Nicolas Sarkozy - blamed by many for fanning the violence with tough talk and harsh tactics - met in Paris with youths and officials from Clichy-sous-Bois in an effort to end days of rioting. But the unrest spread even as they met.
Posted by: Fred 2005-11-02 |
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