Thursday, November 03, 2005

French Intifada Becomes More Violent

Europress Struggles to Excuse Violence

From Reuters via Yahoo!News [emphasis added]:
BOBIGNY, France (Reuters) - Rioters shot at police and fire crews in the worst night in a week of violence in poor Paris suburbs, as France's conservative government struggled to respond to the unrest.

Youths rampaged in nine poor suburbs north and east of Paris, home to North African and black African minorities frustrated at their failure to get jobs or recognition in French society, leaving a trail of destruction behind them.
Now the riots are the result of disaffection, no doubt only after intellectual reflection by the rioters determined rioting was the most constructive way to address their complaints? Earlier reports indicated that the riots began after two youths fleeing police accidentally electrocuted themselves. Police deny they were chasing them.

The BBC explores social conditions that have caused the riots:
Rioting by youths in a Paris suburb has highlighted the discontent among sections of France's immigrant population.
The BBC News website's Henri Astier explores the sense of alienation felt by many French Muslims.
Well, at least the Beeb acknowledges that the rioters are Muslims. Of course, since they're blaming the riots in part on head scarf bans I suppose that's unavoidable. The Reuters' story linked above never gets around to mentioning the word "Muslim".

And oddly, no one outside of Denmark has yet noticed that simultaneous riots are taking place in Aarhus. They even began on the same day as the ones in Paris. A suspicious person might wonder how many European counter-terrorism resources are being tied up during these largely Muslim events...and what might be going on elsewhere while they are.