Newsfilter: Rioting continues in the suburbs of Paris. In
Clichy-Sous-Bois, a predominantly (80%) North African muslim banlieu of about 28,000 people,
night battles have been raging (video) between youths and the police after two muslim youths died by electrocution while they thought the police were chasing them, a charge the police denies. That was 5 nights ago. Since then, 27 people have been arrested, 3 convicted, numerous cars destroyed and property damaged, and 23 police officers wounded in street battles involving "up to several hundred" participants. The
muslim community now accuses the police of firing tear gas into a mosque, and things look far from calming down. These tensions are hardly confined to Paris, however -
In Lyon, 800 cars have been burned in "low level" violence this year; Across France,
9,000 police cars have been "stoned" this year, and 20-40 cars are destroyed a night (!!!), according to Interior Minister
Nicolas Sarkozy. I knew that relations between "the French" and the "
Beurs" were somewhat less than pleasant, but am I the only one that was unaware that
France has been in a state of low-level but direct civil and religious war for the last few years?
posted by loquax
on Nov 1, 2005 -
80 comments
