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| Europe |
| Cars torched at liberty's heart as Paris gripped by guerilla warfare |
| 2005-11-06 |
| IT is a French revolution in rioting - a war of attrition where the enemy is almost impossible to detect and the weapon is a Molotov cocktail. Their targets are cars, buses, schools, nurseries, gyms, warehouses and brasseries across Paris and in other cities. Comparisons with the Gaza Strip are impossible to avoid. The rioting reached a peak on Saturday night with more than 900 cars torched, and nearly 200 arrests as authorities vowed to step up action against the youths responsible for 10 nights of violence. But the riots are now a grave threat to the very concept of public order in France, striking central Paris on Saturday night. Place de la Republique, 10 minutes' walk from Notre Dame, is the fabled heart of the Parisian protest. Overshadowed by an enormous statue representing liberty, equality and fraternity, Republique became the latest symbolic stage for the rioters when they torched four cars in the square. Car burnings were also reported in the expensive 17th arrondissement. This is not a conventional urban riot where a large, angry mob confronts a wall of riot-shield wielding police. There are no pitched battles. Like the Israeli troops in Gaza during the height of the intifada, the thousands of police deployed across the Paris suburbs are frustrated by the guerilla tactics of the firebombers who now rarely attack directly. While there have been sporadic reports of sniper fire at police, most of the gangs prefer to move in small bands setting fire to cars, buses, shops and public buildings, then moving on quickly before firefighters or police arrive. It is difficult to disagree with Interior Minister Nicolas Sarkozy when he says these attacks are being carefully planned by a group of mafia-style organised criminals. Even the anguished and absolutely legitimate cries of discrimination and a history of stigmatisation by the residents of the maligned suburbs, many of them the despairing jobless children and grandchildren of France's former colonies, are beginning to pale into the background. Mr Sarkozy is the bete-noire of the young people of the banlieue, or outer suburbs, the Left and some politicians on the Right, not to mention most of the French press. But is the Interior Minister destroying the infrastructure of poor communities, by blowing up buses, disrupting trains, attempting to set fire to disabled passengers, terrorising tourists, and firebombing places of work? Is he frightening away tourists from France, such as the Russian tour group who were set upon by hoodlums, and had their tour bus torched? Is he shutting down the main train to Charles de Gaulle airport because conductors have been roughed up by gang members? It is time for the French to stop blaming their tough-talking Interior Minister and reunite for peace, justice and order. And then the country can deal with the problem it has failed to resolve for more than 30 years -- how to welcome and truly integrate an estimated 5 to 7 million immigrants from Africa into the mainstream of French society, by offering them genuinely equal treatment, jobs, and a sense of belonging in a country that is elitist, overwhelmingly white in its upper echelons and hypocritical to the core. |
| Posted by:Thromoper Flolung1953 |
| #9 if it continues a few months... I bet on a coup. Its the French way .... followed by the SIXTH REPUBLIC... and all lessons forgotten in a generation or two. |
| Posted by: 3dc 2005-11-06 23:57 |
| #8 France has yet both opportunity and redemption available to them. They can either give the muzzies a sound thrashing, snuff it out with thier very capable military setting the tone for the entire free world, or they can retreat and eventually become absorbed by Islam. The world awaits thier decision. It will be interesting indeed. |
| Posted by: Besoeker 2005-11-06 21:04 |
| #7 The interesting bits about this begin with the definition. Are these youth gangs, criminal gangs, spontaneous "disaffected" youth, Muzlim youth, blah-blah-blah, etc. ? They can be, and I believe are, all true. I would guess that in the huge immigrant community there is room for all -- and a very large overlap, use the Venn Diagram as the visual, among all of the potential "groups". Convergence of interests and alliances of convenience. Which begs the question: Who's running it? I'd say no one, exclusively. YET. Each takes from it according to their motives. Simple vandal destruction, usurping authority, looting and thievery, whatever. Beyond the definition is the fallout. Allowing this to blossom, the obvious indecision and lame response by the authorities, an obvious sense of helplessness, the vulnerability of the French population - in sum it certainly must appear to be a successful venture to the average immigrant onlooker with no more attachment to their host country than these nasty bastards. I believe the real danger comes in the mixing of these interests. It is definitely a terrific recruiting opportunity for all of the various interests, too. Where, otherwise, they might never have anything like such a large-scale chance to cross-seed, this will do the trick - especially since the French authorities have let it go on so long. There are simple thugs who have shared the experience (there's big juju magic there) with devout Muzlim thugs, now, had time to form bonds, etc. Indeed, this could (will, IMHO) result in a much stronger and militant, more monolithic, anti-social force among the immigrants. It could not have been "handled" any worse. I'm waiting for the spillover as the immigrant "communities" which have developed all over the West watch and decide if they, too, can have a go. Is there a particularly nasty strain of this in France - and not elsewhere? If so, it won't stay that way - they'll think about this - and evolve. I believe France has screwed the pooch - and every country which has allowed immigrant enclaves of size to develop will pay for the mistake. Enclaves encourage isolation, not assimilation. The bigger they are, the more isolated, the more powerful the threat. And the French enclaves have now shown the way, the next step in the evolution of these aliens. Thanks to the limp response of the French, it will end much bloodier than had they responded quickly and firmly. And the blood will not only be the blood of the insurgents. That's how it looks to me, anyway. |
| Posted by: Regnad Kcin 2005-11-06 20:53 |
| #6 Even the anguished and absolutely legitimate cries of discrimination and a history of stigmatisation by the residents of the maligned suburbs, many of them the despairing jobless children and grandchildren of France's former colonies, are beginning to pale into the background. That's the money quote. The lefties will continue to attempt to solve this via appeasement, the Islamists will continue to strike when they choose, and the public's frustration will continue to grow until France either falls or elects a hardline fascist government to protect the voting majority from the violent minority. Welcome back to the mid 1930s, the more things change .... |
| Posted by: AzCat 2005-11-06 20:28 |
| #5 I doubt there are many in America who would join in this, except perhaps in Dearborn. At this point, any participation would probably result in deportation after imprisonment, if Bush has any sense left. |
| Posted by: Flolusing Flesing4070 2005-11-06 19:24 |
| #4 I wonder how far this is going to spread. If the jihadis have their sh*t together, they could get things going all over Europe. They could even try to get things going in the US. That could do us a favor if we reacted properly. Like overwhelming force and sealing the affected areas. The inaction of the French government is sending a message --- a strong enabling message. Wonder if there are any rumblings in their neighbor Spain? |
| Posted by: Alaska Paul 2005-11-06 19:20 |
| #3 Besoeker, I am not so sure... The govt. is more likely to stick out a lilly white flag through the shattered Rose Window. But perhaps some Frenchies still have a rudiment of testicular fortitude (gender regardless) and may take matter into their hands, at some point (earlier the better). I know, they are unarmed and pitchforks are probably not as common as 200 years or so ago. But if they don't find a way, you can stick the fork into France, it's done. |
| Posted by: twobyfour 2005-11-06 18:22 |
| #2 Maybe when the feral muzzies throw a molotov cocktail through the Rose Window of the Notre Dame the French gov't will finally do something. |
| Posted by: Besoeker 2005-11-06 17:38 |
| #1 brilliant idea. They will get right to it, after lunch and a meeting. |
| Posted by: 2b 2005-11-06 17:32 |