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French minister condemns anti-Sarkozy protests
Violent protests against Nicolas Sarkozy's election as president took place for a third night, the French interior minister said on Wednesday, with around 200 cars torched and some 80 people arrested. "For the last three days, since the night of the election, we have had an unacceptable situation," said Interior Minister Francois Baroin, blaming the far-left for the violence.Police reported trouble in a number of places overnight, including around Paris's Bastille Square which has been the epicentre of anti-Sarkozy violence in the French capital since Sunday's presidential vote. "This past night around 200 vehicles were torched and there were slightly more than 80 arrests. It is clearly politically motivated and linked to the extreme left," Baroin told France Info radio. "The electorate has spoken, we have seen a remarkably vigorous democracy in our country. Changes of mood should be reflected at the ballot box and not in the street." Between 200-300 demonstrators blocked Paris's Bastille Square late Tuesday chanting: "Fascist Sarko! The people will have your skin". Local residents said large numbers of police sealed off the area and took around two hours to restore order. There was also violence in and around the southeastern city of Lyon, where an office belonging to Sarkozy's UMP party was set ablaze by youths throwing Molotov cocktails. French radio reported that arsonists had also set fire to an infant school in a Paris suburb. A total of 365 vehicles were burnt in metropolitan France in the night of Monday to Tuesday, marking the second consecutive day of violence since the presidential run- off on Sunday, according to official figures issued by police on Tuesday. The head office of the national police (DGPN) shows in its figures issued late Tuesday that 160 arrests were made and a policeman injured. The figures are lower compared to those recorded in the night of Sunday to Monday when 730 vehicles were torched and 595 people arrested. The new wave of anti-Sarkozy demonstrations which degenerated into serious clashes with the police were condemned by leftists political parties, who called for calm and urged those responsible to express their discontent through voting during the forthcoming legislative elections scheduled for June 10 and June 17. Socialist party leaders said such violence would only boost support for the UMP ahead of next month's parliamentary election. "I launched an appeal Sunday evening for responsibility and calm," Socialist Party's secretary general Francois Hollande said on RTL radio. Paris socialist mayor Bertrand Delanoi said "democracy calls for the respect of universal suffrage." Sarkozy has a reputation as a law-and-order hardliner, making him a hate figure for the left. The Socialist party's presidential candidate Segolene Royal warned last week there would be violence if he won Sunday's election. The UMP accused her of looking to incite trouble. Posted by: Fred 2007-05-10 |
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