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| Europe |
| French riots 'need time to solve' |
| 2005-11-04 |
| These people are doomed. French Interior Minister Nicolas Sarkozy has said it will take time to resolve the problems underlying eight nights of rioting around Paris. He said that there were fewer clashes with the police on Thursday night, although violence has spread to new areas and outside the French capital. France has been stunned by the rioting in immigrant-dominated areas. The prime minister has been meeting a group of young people from "sensitive" urban areas, AFP news agency said. Midnight hoops? Gendarme Friendly? McGruff le Chien du Crime? The meeting is part of a series of discussions initiated by Dominique de Villepin with a view to launching an action plan for the suburbs by the end of the month. If your lucky Dominique, they'll have burned it all down by then. Problem solved. But violence continued on Friday, with a handful of cars set on fire outside a court where several people were appearing to face charges connected with the riots. They're sending you folks a message. How are you gonna respond? 'Angry youth' The 18-25-year-olds include immigrants, students and the unemployed. Manolo! My violin! Mr de Villepin has pledged to restore order following criticism of the government's failure to end violence. Meanwhile a group of around 30 mayors and other elected officials from the affected areas gathered in the largely immigrant area of Seine-Saint-Denis to call for calm. "The young people are angry, what they are doing is to be condemned but as elected officials we can understand the reasons for their anger," said Bondy mayor Sylvine Thomassin, quoted by AFP. "They have no work and live in stigmatised areas." I already said doomed, right? Hardline comments Mr Sarkozy said the fact that there had been fewer direct clashes between youths and police did not mean the disturbances were coming to an end."I am aware that the resolution of these problems, which have lain fallow for 30 years, will take time." So it's Degaulle's fault? Mr Sarkozy had earlier sparked some criticism with hardline comments saying the government would not allow "troublemakers, a bunch of hoodlums, think they can do whatever they want". But a political ally of the minister, Eric Raoult, told the BBC that he was not responsible for the riots but was merely speaking the language of the streets. "He speaks to the people and also to the poor people who don't want more riots. Because it's not the cars of rich people who burn. It's cars of poor people who burn," he said. The areas affected are poor, largely immigrant communities with high levels of unemployment. Manolo! My other violin! The big one! Cars torched Arson has become a serious problem, with youths burning schools, warehouses and more than 500 vehicles on Thursday night. Nearly 80 arrests were made in Paris. Most of the attacks took place in Seine-Saint-Denis, where about 1,300 police had been deployed. Cars were torched in the eastern city of Dijon, and sporadic unrest broke out in southern and western France. As on previous nights, gangs of youths armed with bricks and sticks roamed the streets of housing estates. The situation had calmed down at dawn. Must've been time to go to work, right? The unrest began over a week ago after teenagers Bouna Traore, aged 15, and Zyed Benna, 17, were accidentally electrocuted at an electricity sub-station in Clichy-sous-Bois. Local people say they were fleeing police - a claim the authorities deny. Inquiries are under way. Major Strasser has been shot... |
| Posted by:tu3031 |
| #2 with no skills, bad attitudes, language problems, entitlement arrogance, lack of work ethic, poor(er) hygiene .... |
| Posted by: Frank G 2005-11-04 17:08 |
| #1 "The areas affected are poor, largely immigrant communities with high levels of unemployment." Is this referring to all of France and Germany? |
| Posted by: usmc6743 2005-11-04 15:51 |