Sunday, November 06, 2005

Le Roof, le roof, le roof is on fire….



If you’ve been following the news you know that there is some serious drama going on in the ‘burbs of France. Paris' suburbs have been burning for 10 days now.
The children of immigrants have snapped under decades of oppression and have basically gone ballistic. The revolts in the high-rise immigrant ghettos ringing the French capital have touched off rioting in the cities of Dijon, Marseilles and Rouen. So far, police have been ineffective in stopping the rioting and it is spreading across France and now has spread into Paris…
“The urban unrest that triggered scores of arson attacks on vehicles, nursery schools and other targets from the Mediterranean to the German border reached Paris overnight, with police saying early Sunday that 13 cars were burned in the French capital. By 1 a.m., at least 607 vehicles - including those in Paris - were burned during the 10th night of violence, said Patrick Hamon, spokesman for the national police. The overall figures were expected to climb by daybreak, he added.
The violence , originally concentrated in neighborhoods northeast of Paris with large immigrant populations - has spread across France, extending west to the rolling fields of Normandy and south to resort cities on the Mediterranean. Attacks were reported in Cannes and Nice. In the Normandy town of Evreux, arsonists burned at least 50 vehicles, part of a shopping center, a post office and two schools, Hamon said.”

I read a really informative article in one of our local papers that basically broke down what was going on with a simple FAQ…

1) Who are the rioters?
They’re the children of Arab and black African immigrants and are Muslims in a country where the majority are white and Catholics. These immigrants helped rebuild France after WWII.

2) Why are they so heated?
Because they have suffered through decades of daily discrimination and prejudice in a mostly land of white Catholics. The unemployment rate is 30 % higher in ethnic 'hoods.

3)Okay we know why they are pissed off, but wtf made these kids go off?
Two teenagers, one of Tunisian origin and the other from sub-Saharan Africa, were electrocuted Oct. 27 as they hid in a power substation. Their families claim cops were chasing them. Police say it’s bull but it is being investigated.

4) Why can’t the cops stop them?
Because there’s more rioters than there are cops and to top if off the French police department has very few non white cops which in a case like this it would really be helpful if they had more minorities, this way the rioters could have someone that can relate to what they are feeling. As soon as the drama starts calming down in one ‘hood it picks up in another and with their police force outnumbered the cops have been forced to bring in the army troops. I think this is gonna get fuglier now.

5) What about the parents/ people in the communities what are they doing?
The elders of the community as well as Islamic leaders are trying to calm the rioters down but haven’t really been successful so far. These kids are on a mission.

6)What's up with the French government?
The first thing one of the French officials Interior Minister Nicolas Sarkozy did was to insult the rioters, he called them a “bunch of hoodlums” and then said that they were “perfectly organized” implying that this had been planned. That was a smart thing to do. It only pissed them off more and made the situation worse. Way to go genius! He has offered no proof and the influential Le Monde newspaper quoted cops who said "there is no Islamist invisible hand" behind the riots.

7) Should the tourists be packing their bags and bouncing home?
Well it is believed that as long as the tourists stay out of the ‘burbs they should be safe. However I think they do face some danger being that I just read that the riots were now moving into Paris. Here’s a tip if you’re a tourist. If you look out the window and see fire stay your ass in your hotel room. If you’re outside and someone starts rioting run, get your ass indoors. Our State Department issued a warning to Americans yesterday telling them not to go into the ‘burbs. But knowing human nature you know damn well some nosy ass person with a camera is going to be headed into the ‘burbs trying to get the most bang for their tourist franc.

Labels: politics

Posted by @ 2:02 AM
6 comment from:  nasser,  The Sandmonkey,  Mia,  sadiq,  Aisha,  Abreu, Jorge,