Thread: France plunged into crisis by immigrant riots

http://www.theage.com.au/news/world/fra ... 42502.html]

France plunged into crisis by immigrant riots
By Craig Smith, Paris
November 4, 2005

PRESIDENT Jacques Chirac has appealed for calm as the violence in immigrant-heavy northern suburbs of Paris threatened to spiral into a political crisis.

The seventh night of violence, primarily the burning of cars, began as a protest over the deaths last Thursday of two north African youths who were electrocuted when they jumped over a fence surrounding a high-voltage electrical transformer.

Some relatives and witnesses said the youths were running from the police, although the official account said the police were not pursuing them.

But as the car-burning spread from Clichy-sous-Bois, the suburb where the youths died, to neighbouring suburbs yesterday, the Government expressed concern that the incident could ignite broader unrest among frustrated first and second-generation north African immigrants, who have borne the brunt of France's economic weakness.

"Emotions must quieten down," Mr Chirac told ministers on Wednesday.

Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin has seized control of the Government's response from his rival, Interior Minister Nicolas Sarkozy, in what appears to be an effort to assuage anger among the north Africans over Mr Sarkozy, who had raised temperatures with tough remarks this week.

Burning cars as a form of protest is not unusual in the largely immigrant, working-class neighbourhoods.

Unemployment there is 30 per cent or more, compared with the national rate of 10 per cent. More than 20,000 cars have been set ablaze in France so far this year, according to a government report cited by the newspaper Le Figaro.

The periodic violence highlights France's failure to integrate immigrants into the country's broader society, a problem that has grown in urgency as the jobless rate climbs.

Most of the immigrants are housed in government-subsidised apartments on the outskirts of industrial cities. They benefit from generous welfare programs, but their failure to get jobs has created a sense of disenfranchisement among the young.

The spread of violence over seven nights has particularly alarmed the Government, which is already preoccupied by a contest between Mr Villepin and Mr Sarkozy to become the governing centre-right party's presidential candidate in 2007.

Mr Sarkozy has made zero tolerance of crime part of his tough law-and-order platform.

"If it continues, people will start to look for who to blame," said Dominique Reynie, a professor of French political life at the National Foundation of Political Sciences.

According to Mr Sarkozy, the incident last week began when a group of youths in Clichy-sous-Bois were returning home after playing soccer and the police received a report that someone had broken into a nearby construction site. The police arrived and took six youths into custody.

Mr Sarkozy said police logs showed that the police and their detainees arrived at the local police station at 6pm, while a power failure caused by the two other youths making contact with the transformer happened 12 minutes later. One youth who survived the transformer episode confirmed that the police had not been chasing him and his friends at the time.

NEW YORK TIMES

WAR IN THE SUBURBS

OCTOBER 19
â–Â* Interior Minister Nicolas Sarkozy declares "war without mercy" on violence in Paris suburbs.

OCTOBER 25

â–Â* Sarkozy pelted with stones and bottles while visiting suburb of Argenteuil.

OCTOBER 27

â–Â* Two teenagers die after fleeing police identity check in Clichy-sous-Bois. Boys tried to escape via power substation and touched high-voltage equipment. Youths burn 23 vehicles and damage buildings.

OCTOBER 28

â–Â* Sarkozy says the teenagers were not being pursued by police. Later, 23 police hurt in clashes with 400 youths in Clichy.

OCTOBER 29

â–Â* Silent march through Clichy in memory of dead teenagers. After nightfall, more violence, 20 vehicles burned.

OCTOBER 30

â–Â* Six police hurt in clashes outside Clichy. Police tear gas grenade hits mosque.

OCTOBER 31

â–Â* Families of dead teenagers refuse to meet Sarkozy, saying he is incompetent. Nineteen people arrested and 68 vehicles torched in clashes with police.

NOVEMBER 1

â–Â* Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin meets boys' families. Junior minister criticises Sarkozy.

I don't feel sorry for France one bit. We tried to warn them about this for years and yet just like the dopey politicans here, they all called us paranoid, racist and xenophobic. They said we were too dumb to understand and they are the intelligent ones. They bragged about how great and diverse it would be to bring on an onslaught of third worlders into their country and they thought it would all be great and wonderful.

Hey France, you wanted diversity, you got it. You reap what you sow. Are you American sheeple paying attention to this?

Jihad. I dont care what anyone thinks. Islam is bad bad bad. Its spreading like a disease all over the globe. This has everything to do with immigration. All of Europe are now regretting letting these people into their countries, and allowing them to build their Mosques. We are putting ourselves in danger, only because its 'politically correct to be tolerant'. We are STUCK in a war that will never be won because you cant 'stamp out' these enemies. And on top of that, more and more hispanic nations are joining their cult. What a treasure.

Coming soon to American streets near you!

added to the homepage

http://www.alipac.us/article-842-thread-1-0.html

In Denmark too.

http://viking-observer.blogspot.com/200 ... nmark.html

Diversity isn't going to work for any of us. Culture clashes are inevitable.
We can't allow our country to be stolen via two words 'politically correct' when much blood has been shed to preserve it. Apparently more blood must be shed. The politicians are sure it won't be theirs, so keep the PC stuff coming as far as they are concerned.

RR

Originally Posted by RoadRunner

Diversity isn't going to work for any of us. Culture clashes are inevitable.
We can't allow our country to be stolen via two words 'politically correct' when much blood has been shed to preserve it. Apparently more blood must be shed. The politicians are sure it won't be theirs, so keep the PC stuff coming as far as they are concerned.
RR

You are right. Diversity is NOT working for anyone's benefit. America was founded on Christian principles. While our citizens are willing to tolerate people of different backgrounds and religions, we cannot stifle our beliefs for the cause of political correctness. We cant keep throwing God out of our schools, renaming Christian holidays, and tossing aside our cultural beliefs, for the sake of some people who CHOSE to live here. If this is where they CHOSE to live, we shouldnt be made to REFORM ourselves, but they need to CONFORM themselves.
This is what we call assimilation. If they dont want to go along with it, then let them move on. No loss.

If I was in charge, I wouldn't be stupid enough to let these third world rat thugs into our country in the first place. These scum have proven time and time again that they don't belong in a civilized society period. Send them all back to their Crapistans. They are good for absolutely nothing.