France burning....

[MGC]

I'm surprised no one has commented on the riots in France. Are the French wimps or what? They can't even defend themselves. Are the French going to let these hoodlums burn down Paris? For the life of me I can't understand the French. Fight back dammit.......MGC

[Brent]

I don't get it either. TWELVE straight nights. That should not happen in a Democracy, and it certainly wouldn't happen in a U.S. city.

[tomboudreau]

Not to sound stupid or anything, but why are they rioting in France. I've only seen bits and snippets of the rioting, but I don't see why. Maybe someone can help me underand the stupidity taking place over there.

[Brent]

Not to sound stupid or anything, but why are they rioting in France. I've only seen bits and snippets of the rioting, but I don't see why. Maybe someone can help me underand the stupidity taking place over there.

It's mostly the poor minorities demonstrating for being "discriminated" against.

http://www.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/europe/11 ... index.html

[Lindaloo]

Typical. We are mad so let's burn down our own stuff. Makes SO much sense.

[nystate]

I don't get it either. TWELVE straight nights. That should not happen in a Democracy, and it certainly wouldn't happen in a U.S. city.

Umm....remember LA? At least only one person has been killed in France so far, compared to about 40 in the LA riots.

I'm surprised no one has commented on the riots in France. Are the French wimps or what? They can't even defend themselves. Are the French going to let these hoodlums burn down Paris? For the life of me I can't understand the French. Fight back dammit.......MGC

No, they aren't wimps. And they are fighting back. We have had our own problems with riots in the past, we have no right to criticize France until we look in the mirror at our own history.

[senorpepr]

I don't get it either. TWELVE straight nights. That should not happen in a Democracy, and it certainly wouldn't happen in a U.S. city.

Umm....remember LA? At least only one person has been killed in France so far, compared to about 40 in the LA riots.

That is because people fought back in Los Angeles whereas in France they just walk around saying, "Oui, oui, oui!"

[Sorry... couldn't resist.]

[Meso]

hrm... lol... I always thought the image portrayed on T.V as Americans hating the French was rather over-damatised.. After seeing this thread I guess I was wrong ;p

There is rioting like that here all the time... for every stupid possible reason they find some excuse to burn some tires and stuff..

[gtalum]

The French government has still failed to react with an appropriate response. All jokes aside, their police and military are well-equipped to handle this. they just haven't had the chance to do so yet.

M. Chirac, let your police and military do their jobs!

[Lindaloo]

Thank you, gtalum! Well said.

[Brent]

The French government has still failed to react with an appropriate response. All jokes aside, their police and military are well-equipped to handle this. they just haven't had the chance to do so yet.

M. Chirac, let your police and military do their jobs!

Exactly my point... it's absolutely ridiclous.

and NY State, the French riots are now not only in one city, but they have spread COUNTRY-WIDE. It is absolutely absurd that it has gotten so out of hand.

[vbhoutex]

The French government has still failed to react with an appropriate response. All jokes aside, their police and military are well-equipped to handle this. they just haven't had the chance to do so yet.

M. Chirac, let your police and military do their jobs!

Exactly my point... it's absolutely ridiclous.

and NY State, the French riots are now not only in one city, but they have spread COUNTRY-WIDE. It is absolutely absurd that it has gotten so out of hand.

And Brent the us has has multiple riots nationwide for basically the same reason they are rioting in France. I distinctly remember the summer of 1968 as we were traveling looking at Universities that there were riots in two of the cities we visited while we were there. This is not just a France thing. Yes the authorities should be allowed to do what they need to to regain control, but we certainly can't throw stones at France about the rioting. We've had plenty of it here ourselves and on more than one occasion in multiple cities.

[TexasStooge]

I'm just..........speechless.

[x-y-no]

Looks like they're getting more serious about fighting it finally:

PARIS

President Jacques Chirac declared a state of emergency Tuesday, paving the way for curfews to be imposed on riot-hit cities and towns in an extraordinary measure to halt France's worst civil unrest in decades after 12 nights of violence.

Police, meanwhile, said overnight unrest Monday-Tuesday, while still widespread and destructive, was not as violent as previous nights.

"The intensity of this violence is on the way down," National Police Chief Michel Gaudin said, citing fewer attacks on public buildings and fewer direct clashes between youths and police. He said rioting was reported in 226 towns across France, compared to nearly 300 the night before.

The state-of-emergency decree _ invoked under a 50-year-old law _ allows curfews where needed and will become effective at midnight Tuesday, with an initial 12-day limit. Police _ massively reinforced as the violence has fanned out from its initial flash point in the northeastern suburbs of Paris _ were expected to enforce the curfews. The army has not been called in.

Nationwide, vandals burned 1,173 cars, compared to 1,408 vehicles Sunday-Monday, police said. A total of 330 people were arrested, down from 395 the night before

Local officials "will be able to impose curfews on the areas where this decision applies," Chirac said at a Cabinet meeting. "It is necessary to accelerate the return to calm."

The recourse to a 1955 state-of-emergency law that dates back to France's war in Algeria was a measure both of the gravity of mayhem that has spread to hundreds of French towns and cities and of the determination of Chirac's sorely tested government to quash it.

Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin said curfew violators could be sentenced to up to two months imprisonment, adding that restoring order "will take time."

"We are facing determined individuals, structured gangs," Villepin told parliament on Tuesday. He vowed that France will "guarantee public order to all of our citizens."

Full story: http://www.breitbart.com/news/2005/11/08/D8DOBC40M.html

[streetsoldier]

The same thing is happening in Belgium, the Netherlands, Denmark (particularly in the city of Aarhus, where the Muslims are claiming a section of the city as "theirs", gang-style), and some copycats in Britain and Germany.

Could these acts be part of that "Great Ramadan Offensive"?

[P.K.]

The same thing is happening in Belgium, the Netherlands, Denmark (particularly in the city of Aarhus, where the Muslims are claiming a section of the city as "theirs", gang-style), and some copycats in Britain and Germany.

Really? I haven't seen anything aobut riots over here recently.

I can't believe they are still going on in France after almost 2 weeks.

[Brent]

The French government has still failed to react with an appropriate response. All jokes aside, their police and military are well-equipped to handle this. they just haven't had the chance to do so yet.

M. Chirac, let your police and military do their jobs!

Exactly my point... it's absolutely ridiclous.

and NY State, the French riots are now not only in one city, but they have spread COUNTRY-WIDE. It is absolutely absurd that it has gotten so out of hand.

And Brent the us has has multiple riots nationwide for basically the same reason they are rioting in France. I distinctly remember the summer of 1968 as we were traveling looking at Universities that there were riots in two of the cities we visited while we were there. This is not just a France thing. Yes the authorities should be allowed to do what they need to to regain control, but we certainly can't throw stones at France about the rioting. We've had plenty of it here ourselves and on more than one occasion in multiple cities.

Well 1968 was also the Vietnam war and when MLK was assassinated, so that was a bad year. What these people are rioting over isn't on the scale of that.

[streetsoldier]

The same thing is happening in Belgium, the Netherlands, Denmark (particularly in the city of Aarhus, where the Muslims are claiming a section of the city as "theirs", gang-style), and some copycats in Britain and Germany.

Really? I haven't seen anything aobut riots over here recently.

I can't believe they are still going on in France after almost 2 weeks.

Note that there have been a few cars set on fire in the UK..."copycats", not massive rioting...yet.

As to why the French haven't quelled the rioting? For Chirac to show strength by force would be an opening to topple his government, and the burgeoning ultra-right in France would take over...very nastily anti-immigrant, anti-Muslim, etc.

Chirac, up to this point, didn't want to take that chance.

[nystate]

The French government has still failed to react with an appropriate response. All jokes aside, their police and military are well-equipped to handle this. they just haven't had the chance to do so yet.

M. Chirac, let your police and military do their jobs!

Exactly my point... it's absolutely ridiclous.

and NY State, the French riots are now not only in one city, but they have spread COUNTRY-WIDE. It is absolutely absurd that it has gotten so out of hand.

And Brent the us has has multiple riots nationwide for basically the same reason they are rioting in France. I distinctly remember the summer of 1968 as we were traveling looking at Universities that there were riots in two of the cities we visited while we were there. This is not just a France thing. Yes the authorities should be allowed to do what they need to to regain control, but we certainly can't throw stones at France about the rioting. We've had plenty of it here ourselves and on more than one occasion in multiple cities.

Well 1968 was also the Vietnam war and when MLK was assassinated, so that was a bad year. What these people are rioting over isn't on the scale of that.

What about all of these people-

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mass_racial_violence_in_the_United_States

To them (the rioters in France) the situation parallels the situations which caused riots in the United States to some extent.

I agree with you that it should never have gotten out of hand, but we can't look down on the French because we have had many of the same type of problems.

[gtalum]

I agree with you that it should never have gotten out of hand, but we can't look down on the French because we have had many of the same type of problems.

Just to clarify, i don't look down on the French. I'm just puzzled as to why Chirac has chosen to not respond meaningfully yet. Nipping this thing in the proverbial bud on day one would have been much preferable to the street war that's likely to ensue to get this thing under control now.