Setting fire to schools and libraries, prohibiting ambulances from moving/attacking the paramedics, shooting at cops....

http://uk.news.yahoo.com/06112005/325/french-rioters-shoot-police-chirac-vows-action.html

What was the trigger for the riots?

i was wondering about that too - i skimmed through the article but i didn't see the answer there

The good old BBC has detailed reports:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/4412316.stm

Follow the links on page for more related stories...

What was the trigger for the riots?

Three teenagers thought the police were after them, and hid in a power substation and were electrocuted. Two died, and one is in the hospital. There were some pissed off people in Clichy-sous-bois, and they acted up, prompting Sarkozy to call them racaille ("scum"). There was also a report that someone threw a canister of teargas into a mosque.

It's basically escalated over the past 11 nights, and some believe anti-Western radicals are inciting the French Arab and North African youths to violence, as well as giving them access to guns, materials for explosives, etc.

The woman who got doused on the bus and suffered some burns was enough. Now they shoot at police?

This is getting out of hand. I know these youths are allegedly angry about their difficulties in society but as far as I'm concerned it's time to call in the army and deal with this crap so no bystanders get killed.

The trigger appears to be the deaths of two teenagers who got electrocuted because they were hiding from the police at a power station.

The French aren't really into the military acting in domestic cases. I think it needs to happen, for their own sakes, but that's why it's taking so long to call in the army.


I'm really worried that this will continue to get worse. I'm going to be living in France in beginning in a couple of months and I don't want to be in the middle of a civil war. :\

People are rioting just because some idiots got themselves electrocuted? Wow . . . I'd have thought they could come up with a better excuse than that. Hell, they could have said 'we were bored'.

The French aren't really into the military acting in domestic cases. I think it needs to happen, for their own sakes, but that's why it's taking so long to call in the army.



Yes, the French don't call the army for this kind of thing. They use their special anti-riot police (the CRS) of 1968 fame, if anyone here remembers what May 1968 was all about.

I heard CNN said that there was a risk of civil war. That made me laugh out loud. Taking their dreams for a reality, methinks.

Sarkozy is a thug. Not the same race of thug as GW Bush, but he's a thug all the same. And his arch-enemy De Villepin is no better. First thing that needs to be done is for Sarkozy to step down. He's an incompetent bastard. With people like him in positions of power, there's not much hope for anyone.

People are rioting just because some idiots got themselves electrocuted? Wow . . . I'd have thought they could come up with a better excuse than that. Hell, they could have said 'we were bored'.

Just shows how little you know about the social conditions of certain populations in France, the history behind it, the economics and the cultural background.

I suggest you go and do a bit of studying and then come back and give us an opinion that is based on something concrete. And how do you know those dead kids are idiots? Did you know them?????

True . . . most idiots don't even play with power outlets. This lot must have been real special.

Just shows how little you know about the social conditions of certain populations in France, the history behind it, the economics and the cultural background.

I suggest you go and do a bit of studying and then come back and give us an opinion that is based on something concrete.

I'm reacting to what I'm told. I don't care enough to bother with researching the history of whoever these people are or want to be.

Hmm... People are even scared the riots might spread out to cities in other countries (like Brussel)...
But, calling in the army will only trigger the riots further, people will start to think themselfes guerrilla fighters of some kind, and then it would really look like civil war. It wouldn't help...

The riots are basically the culmination of years of pent-up racial tension. It simply took the deaths of children to make people come out en masse and act on their anger and frustration with the government.

If you had actually bothered to read an article rather than making an asinine comment, you would probably understand the reasons better, and you would also know that there is reason to believe that fundamentalist Muslim extremists have begun to manipulate the youths in order to create more chaos.

I think the media outside France is putting a serious spin on this situation. Yes, it's bad, but it's not as widespread as the US media is making it out to be. It's not quite civil war-level strife we're talking about, here.

I think the media outside France is putting a serious spin on this situation. Yes, it's bad, but it's not as widespread as the US media is making it out to be. It's not quite civil war-level strife we're talking about, here.

That, ofcourse, also playes a big role. There have been years with a lot of (smaller) riots on regular basis, which never made it to the worldwide media.

So, I don't think you need to worry about going to france, especially since most likely, you won't visit those 'riot-regios'. At least I don't see why you would, since there is nothing to do over there, which is part of the problem ofcourse.

I think the media outside France is putting a serious spin on this situation. Yes, it's bad, but it's not as widespread as the US media is making it out to be. It's not quite civil war-level strife we're talking about, here.

I was told of a quite fascinating report on television. It showed how different news media in different countries were reporting the riots. Included were Russia, the USA, France and Romanian television, plus Al Jazeera and some other countries.

Each one reported something quite different!!!! And gave a completely different spin on it.

This is the reason why every day I read about 10 different news web-sites to get more of an overall picture of what is going on. If one only relies on one source, one is sure to get the wrong picture. Plus I also subscribe to different newspapers.

It's absolutely impossible to get a reasonable view of world events if one relies on only one or two different news sources and especially if they all stem from the same country.

I was told of a quite fascinating report on television. It showed how different news media in different countries were reporting the riots. Included were Russia, the USA, France and Romanian television, plus Al Jazeera and some other countries.

Each one reported something quite different!!!! And gave a completely different spin on it.

This is the reason why every day I read about 10 different news web-sites to get more of an overall picture of what is going on. If one only relies on one source, one is sure to get the wrong picture. Plus I also subscribe to different newspapers.

It's absolutely impossible to get a reasonable view of world events if one relies on only one or two different news sources and especially if they all stem from the same country.


That is very true. I wonder what al Jahseera had to say about it all, though.

Anyway, in the Netherlands; the media focusses on the poverty part, some interviews with the people living in those places, and the fear that the riots might spread to other countries, with the reassurance that this probably wont happen here, since our cities are too small, and have correspondingly small 'getto'-like neighbourhoods, so it all is much more controllable.

So, I don't think you need to worry about going to france, especially since most likely, you won't visit those 'riot-regios'. At least I don't see why you would, since there is nothing to do over there, which is part of the problem ofcourse.

Of course there's something to do there, which is why I'm able to live there in the first place.

I think reading reports from actual French media is a good idea. You get a whole different perspective that you don't see when you rely on the media from non-French media.

That is very true. I wonder what al Jahseera had to say about it all, though.
.

You can read their point of view on their English web-site: http://english.aljazeera.net/HomePage

The Al Jazeera English web-site is bookmarked on my computer. I read it every day.

Of course there's something to do there, which is why I'm able to live there in the first place.


I didn't mean France in general, I meant those parts in the large cities were the riots take place. Obviously, there is a lot to do in France:) Just saying the riots take place (for the most part, at least) in the parts of town that I for one will probably never visit.

vive la France!
The riots are unusual (in terms of their scale) but there is trouble every night in many of the more impoverished areas round the city. (Just like in the UK).

What has to be kept in mind is that a great deal of the violence is for the sake of violence. Some people enjoy acting like thugs and will take advantage of volatile situations, which ultimately impacts negatively on those will a real grievance.

I'm ultimately not worried about it spreading outside of France though. Someone mentioned the possibility of it hitting Belgium but I doubt it. After over a decade of living there I can honestly say I've seen more hostility in terms of the French speakers vs. Flemish speakers than anything else.
Hard to have a riot when you can't agree on what language to yell abuse in.

People are rioting just because some idiots got themselves electrocuted? Wow . . . I'd have thought they could come up with a better excuse than that. Hell, they could have said 'we were bored'.
:lol:
The French are just trying to proove they have some metal to repeal their arrogant misalignment in amongst nations. :p

Presidential elections are coming up soon.

No journalist has yet asked: "Who will benefit ultimately from these riots?"

The answer is scary. And may give a clue as to why no solution to quelling them has yet been sought.

There's nothing like a running battle between police and disenfranchised youth (French, but of foreign origin) shown night after night on TV to make the populace vote in a certain way.

Sarkozy has got things JUST where he wants them. He's rubbing his hands in glee. The stupid f*ing bastard.

Now I'm confused . . . the people who got themselves electrocuted in the one place you'd expect more electrical hazard than any other may have been normal, but the guy who's (allegedly) set himself up to benefit from this whole thing is stupid?

The Parisians have a pretty amazing history of rioting. To my knowledge they haven't done it recently, but remember the Reign of Terror? Paris Commune anyone? 25,000 killed in under a week in that one. Seems to be something of a trend.

The people in that city seem to need less pressure than most to decide they're fed up. It's a symptom of problems, racist, classist,etc, that are nearly universal in varying degrees to developed countries, and we should all be paying attention. Something tells me we're not going to though.