Wake up, Europe, you've a war on your hands by Mark Steyn

POSTED 2005-11-07T09:25:49

Ever since 9/11, I've been gloomily predicting the European powder keg's about to go up. ''By 2010 we'll be watching burning buildings, street riots and assassinations on the news every night,'' I wrote in Canada's Western Standard back in February.

Silly me. The Eurabian civil war appears to have started some years ahead of my optimistic schedule. As Thursday's edition of the Guardian reported in London: ''French youths fired at police and burned over 300 cars last night as towns around Paris experienced their worst night of violence in a week of urban unrest.''

''French youths,'' huh? You mean Pierre and Jacques and Marcel and Alphonse? Granted that most of the "youths" are technically citizens of the French Republic, it doesn't take much time in les banlieus of Paris to discover that the rioters do not think of their primary identity as ''French'': They're young men from North Africa growing ever more estranged from the broader community with each passing year and wedded ever more intensely to an assertive Muslim identity more implacable than anything you're likely to find in the Middle East. After four somnolent years, it turns out finally that there really is an explosive ''Arab street,'' but it's in Clichy-sous-Bois.

The notion that Texas neocon arrogance was responsible for frosting up trans-Atlantic relations was always preposterous, even for someone as complacent and blinkered as John Kerry. If you had millions of seething unassimilated Muslim youths in lawless suburbs ringing every major city, would you be so eager to send your troops into an Arab country fighting alongside the Americans? For half a decade, French Arabs have been carrying on a low-level intifada against synagogues, kosher butchers, Jewish schools, etc. The concern of the political class has been to prevent the spread of these attacks to targets of more, ah, general interest. They seem to have lost that battle. Unlike America's Europhiles, France's Arab street correctly identified Chirac's opposition to the Iraq war for what it was: a sign of weakness.

The French have been here before, of course. Seven-thirty-two. Not 7:32 Paris time, which is when the nightly Citroen-torching begins, but 732 A.D. -- as in one and a third millennia ago. By then, the Muslims had advanced a thousand miles north of Gibraltar to control Spain and southern France up to the banks of the Loire. In October 732, the Moorish general Abd al-Rahman and his Muslim army were not exactly at the gates of Paris, but they were within 200 miles, just south of the great Frankish shrine of St. Martin of Tours. Somewhere on the road between Poitiers and Tours, they met a Frankish force and, unlike other Christian armies in Europe, this one held its ground ''like a wall . . . a firm glacial mass,'' as the Chronicle of Isidore puts it. A week later, Abd al-Rahman was dead, the Muslims were heading south, and the French general, Charles, had earned himself the surname ''Martel'' -- or ''the Hammer.''

Poitiers was the high-water point of the Muslim tide in western Europe. It was an opportunistic raid by the Moors, but if they'd won, they'd have found it hard to resist pushing on to Paris, to the Rhine and beyond. ''Perhaps,'' wrote Edward Gibbon in The Decline And Fall Of The Roman Empire, ''the interpretation of the Koran would now be taught in the schools of Oxford, and her pulpits might demonstrate to a circumcised people the sanctity and truth of the revelation of Mahomet.'' There would be no Christian Europe. The Anglo-Celts who settled North America would have been Muslim. Poitiers, said Gibbon, was ''an encounter which would change the history of the whole world.''

Battles are very straightforward: Side A wins, Side B loses. But the French government is way beyond anything so clarifying. Today, a fearless Muslim advance has penetrated far deeper into Europe than Abd al-Rahman. They're in Brussels, where Belgian police officers are advised not to be seen drinking coffee in public during Ramadan, and in Malmo, where Swedish ambulance drivers will not go without police escort. It's way too late to rerun the Battle of Poitiers. In the no-go suburbs, even before these current riots, 9,000 police cars had been stoned by ''French youths'' since the beginning of the year; some three dozen cars are set alight even on a quiet night. ''There's a civil war under way in Clichy-sous-Bois at the moment,'' said Michel Thooris of the gendarmes' trade union Action Police CFTC. ''We can no longer withstand this situation on our own. My colleagues neither have the equipment nor the practical or theoretical training for street fighting.''

What to do? In Paris, while ''youths'' fired on the gendarmerie, burned down a gym and disrupted commuter trains, the French Cabinet split in two, as the ''minister for social cohesion'' (a Cabinet position I hope America never requires) and other colleagues distance themselves from the interior minister, the tough-talking Nicolas Sarkozy who dismissed the rioters as ''scum.'' President Chirac seems to have come down on the side of those who feel the scum's grievances need to be addressed. He called for ''a spirit of dialogue and respect.'' As is the way with the political class, they seem to see the riots as an excellent opportunity to scuttle Sarkozy's presidential ambitions rather than as a call to save the Republic.

A few years back I was criticized for a throwaway observation to the effect that ''I find it easier to be optimistic about the futures of Iraq and Pakistan than, say, Holland or Denmark." But this is why. In defiance of traditional immigration patterns, these young men are less assimilated than their grandparents. French cynics like the prime minister, Dominique de Villepin, have spent the last two years scoffing at the Bush Doctrine: Why, everyone knows Islam and democracy are incompatible. If so, that's less a problem for Iraq or Afghanistan than for France and Belgium.

If Chirac isn't exactly Charles Martel, the rioters aren't doing a bad impression of the Muslim armies of 13 centuries ago: They're seizing their opportunities, testing their foe, probing his weak spots. If burning the 'burbs gets you more ''respect'' from Chirac, they'll burn 'em again, and again. In the current issue of City Journal, Theodore Dalrymple concludes a piece on British suicide bombers with this grim summation of the new Europe: ''The sweet dream of universal cultural compatibility has been replaced by the nightmare of permanent conflict.'' Which sounds an awful lot like a new Dark Ages.

These idiots burning cars are just fueling the fires that are going to backlash against them. Some of them even claim it's justified because they're being discriminated against. (Yeah, this'll help) A little look at the history books will show these clowns that Dr King's march on Washingtion, and the bus boycotts did far more to further the cause of civil rights in the US than the Watts riots ever did.

In most countries the laws allow for people to lose their citizenships over treason, and this little insurrection should certainly count as such. Those who are found guilty should be locked up, and or sent back where they came from. See how "underprivilaged" they are then.

cv

What a pile crap. The author completly missed his or her shot. He or she couldn't have been more wrong even if he or she had an agenda.

The real reason for this is simple: those "young" muslims are tired of the government anti-social BS, are very poor, and want something else. They are just taking it too violently though. That doesn't mean they aren't onto something.

The Euro currency switch has been a disaster for most large European urban cities. Prices have gone up 30% to 50% in less than 3 years, mostly by corporation and small vendors greed. Now when you have little cash and your life is already difficult, a currency re-evaluation is the last thing you want. Life is expensive like it never was. So a lot of frustrations as everone wants their new car, stereos, PlayStations.

Put people in a corner, then don't be surprised when they riot. Actually I wouldn't be surprised that sooner more than later, we will have state and railroad employees rioting because they feel they have been cheated by the same government of their benefits and purchasing power since the Euro currency switch. That's also one of the main reason the EU constitution didn't go through. People are tired to be lied to about the future promises of treaties that will fuk them over at the end, like the Euro currency did.

T

hese idiots burning cars are just fueling the fires that are going to backlash against them.

Bet they are quaking in thier boots ....

Glad you posted the article cdn

I was wondering about these riots - there seems to be little mention about who they are or what they want. Now I know, I wish I didn't. Can't see any resolve of the matter.

What a pile crap. The author completly missed his or her shot. He or she couldn't have been more wrong even if he or she had an agenda.

The real reason for this is simple: those "young" muslims are tired of the government anti-social BS, are very poor, and want something else. They are just taking it too violently though. That doesn't mean they aren't onto something.

The Euro currency switch has been a disaster for most large European urban cities. Prices have gone up 30% to 50% in less than 3 years, mostly by corporation and small vendors greed. Now when you have little cash and your life is already difficult, a currency re-evaluation is the last thing you want. Life is expensive like it never was. So a lot of frustrations as everone wants their new car, stereos, PlayStations.

Put people in a corner, then don't be surprised when they riot. Actually I wouldn't be surprised that sooner more than later, we will have state and railroad employees rioting because they feel they have been cheated by the same government of their benefits and purchasing power since the Euro currency switch. That's also one of the main reason the EU constitution didn't go through. People are tired to be lied to about the future promises of treaties that will fuk them over at the end, like the Euro currency did.

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So the reason for the riots are because of the currency, government anti-social BS and the fact that every young Muslim in France wants a new car, a new stereo and a play station (What about x-boxes)

I suppose it has nothing to do with their religion , the fact that they live in slum like areas that have not been policed suitably in years…and they think they can run riot without consequences,Or is it 100% totally the French governments fault.

I've been lied to and fcked over by my goverment,should I therefore smash a couple of cars and set fire to a few buildings.

It turns out the riot started when the true French demanded the newbies had to shower twice a month like everyone else

It turns out the riot started when the true French demanded the newbies had to shower twice a month like everyone else  

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hard to believe,but probably true. Does this mean that the newbies had to increase the number of showers they had.......

It turns out the riot started when the true French demanded the newbies had to shower twice a month like everyone else  

Les Frogs shower twice a month

From the BBC:

Rioters have burnt nearly 4,000 cars and more than 300 arrests have been made since the unrest began, gripping mostly African and Arab communities.

The violence was triggered by the deaths of two youths in the rundown Paris suburb of Clichy-sous-Bois, who were accidentally electrocuted at an electricity sub-station after reportedly fleeing police.

So, 2 people fleeing from the police get accidentally electrocuted, and that is justification of 11 nights of rioting and damages that will be in the 10's of millions of dollars/euros ?

The violence has spread to a number of other French cities, including Toulouse.

Hundreds of cars were set on fire in different towns on Sunday night, and police had to use tear gas to disperse a club-wielding mob in Toulouse.

I am still trying to figure out why it is that the host (Western/European) nation is supposed to bend over backwards to accommodate every immigrant that arrives, but the immigrants are not required to assimilate/integrate into the host nations culture at all ?

Remember that in France, many (most ?) of these immigrants have come from North Africa, without a bean in their pocket. They look at places like France as the "promised land" of wealth and prosperity. They have this misguided notion that as soon as they arrive, they will begin to live a life of wealth and prosperity. The same thing happens in the US and Canada, and many other wealthier countries.

The fact that many of these immigrants can't speak the language, have little or no education, few (if any) marketable job skills nor any other means to support themselves, doesn't seem to fit into the equation. They still think they should somehow be able to immediately enjoy the same lifestyle as those people that can speak the language, have an education and have marketable skills.

When the lifestyle of the not-so impoverished isn't bequeathed to them upon arrival, they get resentful. Suddenly, they feel discriminated against. Some turn to crime, and when arrested, they claim discrimination.

Some don't understand why they can't do the things they used to get away with in their home countries (like extorting money from fellow immigrants). They live in areas already populated by immigrants of similar origins, as these are the only places they can feel comfortable (i.e. Chinatowns, little India's, little Italy's ect).

Being dirt poor with little means of support, they can't buy into wealthier neighbourhoods, and probably wouldn't any ways.

But this is all the fault of the government. Every thing is the fault of the government. The people themselves are totally blameless. No matter how many cars, schools, business's they burn, no matter how many policemen (and others) they injure, it shouldn't be held against them, because everything is the governments fault.

The government should tax the working people to the hilt, so that the money can be given away to those that don't have job, those that don't want to work and those that feel they don't have enough money to live the lifestyle they would like to be accustomed to.

(ps: the last 2 paragraphs are heavy on the sarcasm. I know there are some of you out there that would read that and take it as a statement of fact !)

We must never forget that France was the colonial power in Algeria (with whom it fought a very bloody war of independence), Morocco, Tunisia and, post WWI, Lebanon plus (not without significance) Syria.

Most, if not all of the rioters, have at least family connections with these countries.

I find it difficult to believe that the primum mobile for sustained rioting of this magnitude, is not to be found in one of these former colonies.

But this is all the fault of the government. Every thing is the fault of the government. The people themselves are totally blameless. No matter how many cars, schools, business's they burn, no matter how many policemen (and others) they injure, it shouldn't be held against them, because everything is the governments fault.

The government should tax the working people to the hilt, so that the money can be given away to those that don't have job, those that don't want to work and those that feel they don't have enough money to live the lifestyle they would like to be accustomed to.

(ps: the last 2 paragraphs are heavy on the sarcasm. I know there are some of you out there that would read that and take it as a statement of fact !) 

That's the problem. So many people do take it seriously and believe strongly in it . Wait till you get home and see the national babysitting service they're foisting on us. With any hope the govt will fall before then.

cv

I am still trying to figure out why it is that the host (Western/European) nation is supposed to bend over backwards to accommodate every immigrant that arrives, but the immigrants are not required to assimilate/integrate into the host nations culture at all ?

Remember that in France, many (most ?) of these immigrants have come from North Africa, without a bean in their pocket. They look at places like France as the "promised land" of wealth and prosperity. They have this misguided notion that as soon as they arrive, they will begin to live a life of wealth and prosperity. The same thing happens in the US and Canada, and many other wealthier countries.

The fact that many of these immigrants can't speak the language, have little or no education, few (if any) marketable job skills nor any other means to support themselves, doesn't seem to fit into the equation. They still think they should somehow be able to immediately enjoy the same lifestyle as those people that can speak the language, have an education and have marketable skills.

When the lifestyle of the not-so impoverished isn't bequeathed to them upon arrival, they get resentful. Suddenly, they feel discriminated against. Some turn to crime, and when arrested, they claim discrimination.

Some don't understand why they can't do the things they used to get away with in their home countries (like extorting money from fellow immigrants). They live in areas already populated by immigrants of similar origins, as these are the only places they can feel comfortable (i.e. Chinatowns, little India's, little Italy's ect).

Being dirt poor with little means of support, they can't buy into wealthier neighbourhoods, and probably wouldn't any ways.

But this is all the fault of the government. Every thing is the fault of the government. The people themselves are totally blameless. No matter how many cars, schools, business's they burn, no matter how many policemen (and others) they injure, it shouldn't be held against them, because everything is the governments fault.

The government should tax the working people to the hilt, so that the money can be given away to those that don't have job, those that don't want to work and those that feel they don't have enough money to live the lifestyle they would like to be accustomed to.

(ps: the last 2 paragraphs are heavy on the sarcasm. I know there are some of you out there that would read that and take it as a statement of fact !) 

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This is a little bit more complicated than that. These 2nd generation immigrants don't want to live the slave life of their parents. The first generation were merely imported for economic reason and really treated like shit, much worse than in the US or in the UK, so it might be difficult to really comprehend or understand what they went through. I am sure we would riot for less if we had to go through the same shit.

Not only were they badly treated but paid basically nothing, losing on both fronts. No matter how much hard work, they never got any recognition. Not sure if deserved or not, but I am sure most of us wouldn't take any of that shit.

Religion ? in a sense yes. The different French government (actually DeGaulles is at the origin of all this) parked those "colonies" immigrants (mostly Algerian muslims) into special areas and make sure they would stay there. This was the French way to deal with "immigration" because nobody would expect them to reproduce in those harsh conditions. They were wrong.

Are the riots religion related ? of course not. They are about living standard and conditions and their future in France. They can't integrate because the French won't let them integrate. That's the simple Truth. They are the equivalent of blacks in the 50s or the Indians even today (except they don't have the land and casinos as compensation)

Remember when blacks in the US rioted in the late 50s and 60s ? same here.

I've been lied to and fcked over by my goverment,should I therefore smash a couple of cars and set fire to a few buildings.

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You have never been fuked over by your government. Not receiving your $300 tax return is not being fuked by the government. You would start smashing more than cars if you had to go through the shit those immigrants had to go through.

Perhaps better going home?

I am life is better there.

I've been lied to and fcked over by my goverment,should I therefore smash a couple of cars and set fire to a few buildings.

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You have never been fuked over by your government. Not receiving your $300 tax return is not being fuked by the government. You would start smashing more than cars if you had to go through the shit those immigrants had to go through.

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I've been lied to and fcked over by my goverment,should I therefore smash a couple of cars and set fire to a few buildings.

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You have never been fuked over by your government. Not receiving your $300 tax return is not being fuked by the government. You would start smashing more than cars if you had to go through the shit those immigrants had to go through.

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&lt;deleted&gt;. don't give me that poor wee immigrant &lt;deleted&gt;.My wife went through &lt;deleted&gt; too through NZ Immigration, but she never went out and trashed buildings....I was the one that felt like knocking somebodies head off...but I didn't.

This means that anybody that has been through any hardship should blame the government.

I wasn't talking about a poxy little $300 tax return either.It was over health care for a close relation.....

I've been lied to and fcked over by my goverment,should I therefore smash a couple of cars and set fire to a few buildings.

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You have never been fuked over by your government. Not receiving your $300 tax return is not being fuked by the government. You would start smashing more than cars if you had to go through the shit those immigrants had to go through.

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&lt;deleted&gt;. don't give me that poor wee immigrant &lt;deleted&gt;.My wife went through &lt;deleted&gt; too through NZ Immigration, but she never went out and trashed buildings....I was the one that felt like knocking somebodies head off...but I didn't.

This means that anybody that has been through any hardship should blame the government.

I wasn't talking about a poxy little $300 tax return either.It was over health care for a close relation.....

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Being an immigrant under the protection of a "native" is not the same as being an immigrant on your own or as a group and being discrimized as a group physically and emotionally.

Your wife case is obviously different. She is one lucky immigrant and those little inconveniences are nothing compared to the hardship of those other groups.

You are not buying it because you have never seen it there, and you have no idea how it's like (Does NZ even have an immigration problem like Europe ?)

I've been lied to and fcked over by my goverment,should I therefore smash a couple of cars and set fire to a few buildings.

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You have never been fuked over by your government. Not receiving your $300 tax return is not being fuked by the government. You would start smashing more than cars if you had to go through the shit those immigrants had to go through.

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&lt;deleted&gt;. don't give me that poor wee immigrant &lt;deleted&gt;.My wife went through &lt;deleted&gt; too through NZ Immigration, but she never went out and trashed buildings....I was the one that felt like knocking somebodies head off...but I didn't.

This means that anybody that has been through any hardship should blame the government.

I wasn't talking about a poxy little $300 tax return either.It was over health care for a close relation.....

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Being an immigrant under the protection of a "native" is not the same as being an immigrant on your own or as a group and being discrimized as a group physically and emotionally.

Your wife case is obviously different. She is one lucky immigrant and those little inconveniences are nothing compared to the hardship of those other groups.

You are not buying it because you have never seen it there, and you have no idea how it's like (Does NZ even have an immigration problem like Europe ?)

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You surmise too much.How do you know she was lucky?NZ does have it's own problems similar to Europe....not to the same extent though.

I'm not buying your "poor Immigrant" crap though. What about the Christians,buddhists or Athiest Immigrants.....are they creating &lt;deleted&gt;.

The fact that many of these immigrants can't speak the language, have little or no education, few (if any) marketable job skills nor any other means to support themselves, doesn't seem to fit into the equation. They still think they should somehow be able to immediately enjoy the same lifestyle as those people that can speak the language, have an education and have marketable skills.

my understanding is that most of the rioters are second generation immigrants. they are french citizens , french educated and qualified.

their complaint is that french society is so anti muslim and racist to those of african or arab appearance that they cant get jobs and are unfairly treated by the police. thats the main reason for all the rioting.

immigrants to european countries are encouraged to hold on to their own culture , languages and ways in a misguided view that multiculturalism is the way to go.

of course with crazy views like that is it any wonder that integration is well nigh impossible.

i believe that in order to emigrate to the usa , you are expected to give up all that and adopt the american way of doing things , a much different idea to the joke of multicultural inclusivity in europe.

but yet again , it seems to be the muslims that are making such a noise.

wonder why the chinese , the thais , the hindus and the jewish immigrants arent out there biting the hand of their hosts.

also along the same lines and i think is relevant to this topic , this letter is from the bangkok post , and was posted by another poster a couple of days ago.

White Faced refugees from Islam

Even now we can see it plating out on Europe's streets, the beginning of the conquest of non - Muslims. After 30 years of appeasement , accommodation and cultural abidication to foreign Muslim immigrants, Europe is rapidly evolving from a judeo - christian civilisation to a secular - Muslim transitional society on its way to Sharia by the end of this century. European governments encouraged Muslim immigration into Europe, discouraged assimilation, and fostered the dissemination in Europe of Islamic perspectives on history and contemporary politics . All for oil.

Now its too late, France, England and much of Scandinavia are already essentially Muslim states. After the Beslan child massacres and the bombings in London and Spain. it won't be much longer before migration of white Europeans becomes a mass exodus of those who can afford to leave.

Where will all these future white - faced refugees from Islam go ? most probably to the United States, Canada, New Zealand and Australia. However ,many will doubtless find their way to faraway lands offering tolerance and freedom, places like the Dominican Republic and Thailand .

How will the Thai people react to an ever increasing number of Europeans in their midst ?. Will the Europeans be able to integrate into Thai society and culture or will they segregate themselves in housing estates ?What effect will their presence have on Thailand and on the European immigrants , themselves ?How will Thailand cope with this influx of white refugees and what are the long - term consequences for Asia and for Buddhism ?.How can those of European descent already living in Thailand and integrated avoid being caught up in any backlash that might develop from the swelling numbers of new arrivals ? .

What is he/she trying to say....?

Start shooting any &lt;deleted&gt; who burns property and I dare say this nonsense will stop.

although i'm inclined to agree with you , wasnt that what started it ?

French society at a crossroads 

By Hugh Schofield

Paris 

The next couple of days are going to be crucial.

It was to be predicted that the violence in the French suburbs would continue throughout the weekend.

Hundreds of cars are being torched every night

If the number of car-burnings remains in the high hundreds over the next few nights, then France will have entered a new and dangerous phase.

No longer will it be possible to argue that the violence is the extended fallout from the 27 October incident - the accidental electrocution of two youths in Clichy-sous-Bois.

'Intifada'

Once the two-week mark approaches, the events will start resembling the large-scale suburban uprising that doom-mongers have predicted for years.

Words like "intifada" will start being bandied around, and the stakes will suddenly be much higher.

There are two solid reasons for pessimism. The first is the way the rioters have seized on Interior Minister Nicolas Sarkozy as their elemental hate-figure.

To hear the words of the protesters, and indeed much of the reporting of the violence, one can sometimes get the impression that Mr Sarkozy actually created the unrest.

In fact his rhetoric, while undoubtedly uncompromising and hardline, has been wilfully misinterpreted, and not just by the rioters.

To describe the bands of youths rampaging through the suburbs as "yobs" or "rabble" - which he did - is not quite the same as describing all inhabitants of the suburbs as "scum", which is how it has sometimes come across in the media.

Nonetheless, legitimately or otherwise, the minister is now seen by many inhabitants of the suburbs - as well as the left-wing opposition - as part of the problem.

But if they believe there is the remotest chance of his standing down, then they are mistaken.

After initial doubts, Mr Sarkozy now has the backing of the rest of the government, and the longer the riots go on, the more he appears justified in his firm line. He will remain as the rioters' hate figure for some time yet.

Universal response

The other reason for pessimism is that the rioters can read in much of the reaction to their rampages a legitimisation of what they have done.

The universal press response - both national and international, left and right - has been to point out how the French model of integration has failed, and how the suburbs have become exploding cauldrons.

From every direction come calls for a new assessment, but some calls are stronger than others.

An editorialist in Le Monde, for example compared the riots to May 1968, and expressed the hope that just as the student uprising forced a major - and in the writer's view - positive change to French society, so will these. That is not exactly an encouragement for the violence to cease.

As for reasons for optimism, are there any?

The only answer is that the violence is going to have to stop some time, and maybe it will be sooner rather than later.

Perhaps the most the government can pray for is a cold snap accompanied by freezing sleet. Maybe that will put out the fires.

Start shooting any &lt;deleted&gt; who burns property and I dare say this nonsense will stop.

although i'm inclined to agree with you , wasnt that what started it ?

I agree with Brit. These are yobs trying to turn France into the same shithole that they (or their parents) originally came from. You don't hear (well i haven't yet) of any of the 100's of French retaliating in a yobbish manner, to having their cars burned. Don't know if i would retaliate or not, if some scumbag torched my possesions

Tax, i thought it was 2 youths running away from the cops and got accidentaly electrocuted that started it?

my mistake , you are correct.

I have experienced many culturally snobbish French people both in France and all over the world. These personal experiences that I have had make me consider that it is quite possible that this attitude could be the general experience of these marginalized people who are French citizens but whose culture does not match the traditional French culture. Perhaps the French have looked down their noses once too often in considering these people....just like the Americans did with their own black citizens in the '60's. The result seems to be the same. I am not trying to justify violence in either situation....but....this seems to be a development that is typical of human behavior...not peculiar to some religion or culture. If an established gov't wants to avoid these developments then the things that have happened in the US that have not completely erased the discrimination but have reduced it might be a clue as to how to proceed.

"The notion that Texas neocon arrogance was responsible for frosting up trans-Atlantic relations was always preposterous, even for someone as complacent and blinkered as John Kerry. If you had millions of seething unassimilated Muslim youths in lawless suburbs ringing every major city, would you be so eager to send your troops into an Arab country fighting alongside the Americans? For half a decade, French Arabs have been carrying on a low-level intifada against synagogues, kosher butchers, Jewish schools, etc. The concern of the political class has been to prevent the spread of these attacks to targets of more, ah, general interest. They seem to have lost that battle. Unlike America's Europhiles, France's Arab street correctly identified Chirac's opposition to the Iraq war for what it was: a sign of weakness." Wake up, Europe, you've a war on your hands MARK STEYN

In the meanwhile Reuters, which refuses to call terrorists terrorists, takes comfort in a supposed fatwa against the Muslim militants issued by one of France's largest Islamic groups, The Union of French Islamic Organizations (UOIF).

France 3 has hit on a typically French solution to the rioting: don't announce how many cars have burned.

Although on Friday, a French official said the violence had peaked. That didn't work, so withholding the number of burned cars isn't likely to. There is talk, however, of competitions between neighbouring suburbs to beat the previous night's Citroen-cooking. So at least this is a strategy...

We had a spurt of riots in the US after the Superbowl. Citizens of the victorious city would set fire to cars and loot. It seems to no longer be in fashion. College kids look for something new to do. The french have a real problem. The muslim youths don't get liquored up. The police can't sit back and wait for the youths to pass out or stay home with hangovers.

From the BBC:

Rioters have burnt nearly 4,000 cars and more than 300 arrests have been made since the unrest began, gripping mostly African and Arab communities.

The violence was triggered by the deaths of two youths in the rundown Paris suburb of Clichy-sous-Bois, who were accidentally electrocuted at an electricity sub-station after reportedly fleeing police.

So, 2 people fleeing from the police get accidentally electrocuted, and that is justification of 11 nights of rioting and damages that will be in the 10's of millions of dollars/euros ?

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Well ... let's be a little more specific. This was no accident!! Stepping on a tack in bare feet is an accident. Running over your mailbox while backing out of the driveway is an accident.

Jumping the fence into an electrical substation and running into lethal doses of electricity is not an accident. It is stupidity. It is a Darwin award candidate.

Because of two Darwin-award wanna-be's, the dis-affected want to burn France?

I don't get it.

Time for water cannons, tear gas and rubber bullets.

The only way to put down a riot is with superior force.

Well, there are very few things as amusing these days as watching the French grapple with their backyard intifada. The suburbs of Paris are now more dangerous than Jenin or Gaza, and the French are getting their comeuppance for decades of snootiness, for anti-American and anti-Israel hostility, for decades of cowardice, and especially for the repulsive French love of old Jerry Lewis movies…