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Europe
Crisis talks over gang attacks on police
2006-10-18
The French government yesterday held crisis talks with community leaders in an effort to halt mounting violence in suburbs around Paris, amid news that gangs of youths, mainly of North African descent, were intensifying attacks on police.

“These guys came to kill. They wore balaclavas, and had baseball bats and iron bars...”
Dominique de Villepin, the prime minister and a man, ordered his interior and justice ministers to "toughen up" sentences for those found guilty of assaulting officers, following a meeting with community leaders. His announcement followed a series of violent incidents over the past weeks, culminating in the ambush of three police officers on Friday by youths in Epinay-sur-Seine, north of Paris. "These guys came to kill. They wore balaclavas, and had baseball bats and iron bars," said Joaquin Masanet, the general secretary of the powerful UNSA police union.

The three officers from the anti-crime brigade, BAC, entered the Orgemont housing estate after an anonymous caller reported a violent car theft. Once inside, their exit was barred and they were set upon by around 50 youths, who pelted the men with stones. Iron bars smashed their windscreen. They tried to reverse, but a second vehicle boxed them in. The criminals fled only after the officers fired live ammunition into the air and police reinforcements arrived. One of the officers, Christophe Estève, 30, had two teeth knocked out and needed 30 stitches in his jaw. He was discharged from hospital yesterday.
Posted by:Fred

#8  Considering the French let 10s of thousands of their elderly die in a heat wave a few yrs ago,it's going to take alot of killing.
Posted by: Stephen   2006-10-18 22:37  

#7  What it's going to take is shooting a busload of these bastards down in the street and telling their relatives, when they come crying about it to the authorities, that they should have kept their young criminals under control. Then tell the relatives they are being deported back to country of ethnic origin as undesirable elements. France can get this back under control; it's just going to take some killing.
Posted by: mac   2006-10-18 18:12  

#6  What's with the baseball bats in France? Would the French know a baseball bat from a stick?

Baseball bats = trendy bludgeons, go along the whole "gangsta" culture, with baggy pants, baseball cap, designer sportwear, gold chains, and of course, gangsta rap.
On the other hand, the number of baseball players is slim to none, though they are an handful, I recon.

"Traditional" french club is the pickaxe handle, or the iron bar, the two being staples of violent demonstrations (though in the 70's, students did like the nunchaku, thanks to Bruce Lee).
Posted by: anonymous5089   2006-10-18 09:41  

#5  Crisis talks? Your talkin France here ferchrisakes! Immediately set up a job program for disaffected youts, a nationwide sensitivity campaign, and diversity training for all law enforcement. Remember...it's Root causes baabyyy.
Posted by: DepotGuy   2006-10-18 09:35  

#4  What's with the baseball bats in France? Would the French know a baseball bat from a stick?
Posted by: Spot   2006-10-18 08:29  

#3  How about shoot-to-kill orders when officers are assaulted?
Posted by: Anguper Hupomosing9418   2006-10-18 02:48  

#2  ordered his interior and justice ministers to "toughen up" sentences for those found guilty of assaulting officers,

That seems fairly useless since they rarely arrest them. Wouldn't it make more sense to say, "aggressively prosecute" than to increase the sentences on the few that actually are found guilty?

More empty measure sound bites.
Posted by: anon   2006-10-18 02:09  

#1  Why would these fools waste ammo firing into the air? They had plenty of targets right at the end of their barrels. I always figured if a target got in front of my barrel it was achin' to be shot. I always did.
Posted by: SpecOp35   2006-10-18 00:41  

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