quote:

Riots erupted in an outburst of anger in Clichy-sous-Bois over the accidental electrocution Oct. 27 of two teenagers who fled a soccer game and hid in a power substation when they saw police enter the area. Youths in the neighborhood suspect that police chased Traore Bouna, 15, and Zyed Benna, 17, to their deaths.

Since then riots have swelled into a broader challenge against the French state and its security forces. The violence has exposed deep discontent in neighborhoods where African and Muslim immigrants and their French-born children are trapped by poverty, unemployment, racial discrimination, crime, poor education and housing.

The Interior Ministry released a preliminary report Thursday exonerating officers of any direct role in the teenagers' deaths. Some 1,300 officers were being deployed in Seine-Saint-Denis, a tough northeastern area that includes the town of Clichy-sous-Bois and has seen the worst violence.

quote:

Originally posted by striv:

quote:

Originally posted by ArkanGL:
More than 400 cars burned last night.

The thing is still growing.

And it's spreading to the southern suburbs.

The government isn't doing anything, except internal quarrels.

That's pretty scary.

I hope it will not end in a government-ordered bloodbath.

What scares me the most is the possibility than after such a dire ending,
the majority of French citizens would be glad that the government reacted, and got rid of these horrible riotous ungrateful foreign parasites.

Very sorry to hear about all this.
And believe me, I sympathise with you.

Τα παιδεία παίζει.

quote:

Originally posted by striv:

quote:

"There's a gap between what the politicians say and reality," said Abd al Malik, a writer and rap artist who grew up in a housing project after his parents emigrated from the Republic of Congo. "Even the most banal incident can be a trigger because people are so frustrated. They are told this is their home, but they don't feel it is their home.

I liked this part from that article Arkan.

Τα παιδεία παίζει.

quote:

But the sight of bearded men urging rioters to calm down in the name of Islam on Monday has also triggered a debate about whether Muslim radicals were exploiting the frustration of the youths.

Bruno Gollnisch, a leader of the anti- immigrant National Front, said: "The supposed mediation of big brothers [community leaders] crying out Allah Akbar [God is Greatest] is one sign among many of the capitulation of the legitimate authorities."

quote:

Originally posted by ArkanGL:
The thing that bothers me is : I want to take sides!

I want to support people who fight the Power.
I want things to change.
Especially the lack of consideration people have regarding the inhabitants of these lousy suburbs.

BUT:
For now, the kids have shown no sign of organization or purpose.
Most notably, they threw stones at firemen, and burned schools...
It seems like all they want is to wreak havoc, and destroy things.
No Revolution is in progress here.

As a girl said in an interview yesterday :
"The kids are doing it all wrong.
they are destroying the place they live in.
They should go to Paris, and burn Sarkozy's house, instead of their own place."

I couldn't agree more.

Τα παιδεία παίζει.

quote:

Youths burned buildings and more than 500 vehicles in the eighth consecutive night of rioting. Nearly 80 arrests were made in Paris.

Cars were torched in the eastern city of Dijon, and sporadic unrest broke out in southern and western France.

quote:

Originally posted by doggo:
*Long rant about poverty and how those who've never been poor can't possibly understand, and lamenting the often destructive behavior by the poor when faced with a crisis and how it usually ends up hurting them more. See footnotes on the American experience in Watts and Chicago. Vehement admonition against blaming the victim.*

quote:

Originally posted by lithos:
*insert my rant agreeing with doggo about my strata of my generation - white, middle class - pretending to give a shit in order for perceived trends and some deep, resenting guilt.

quote:

Originally posted by Marshdrifter:
Seriously though, your average middle class
drone doesn't have any sort of power with which
to enact any necessary changes that would
relieve the problems in any meaningful
nonpatronizing way. So the answer is...?