Car fires, firebombs and a nation burning: France

[Lilaena De'Ville]

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/9891709/

France as we know it might well be gone, paving the way for ... for what? Most of the unrest is coming from their Muslim communities.

[Khendon Sevon]

Say hello to the first of the New World Military States. Who's next? Spain?

[Lilaena De'Ville]

First France, then all of Europe, imo. France's own fault too, the buggers.

Still it annoys me that this very world changing event has been going on for OVER TWO WEEKS and it's just now popped up in the news. Frickin' media. We had wall to wall coverage of Hurricane Katrina, but I suppose we can't blame France on G. W., so why talk about it?

[Morgan Evanar]

You're pretty funny.

It's the poor population rioting, not really because they were Muslim, but more because they're poor and the French govt has been pretty inept at handling relations from what I've been told by some locals, and the immigrants have been rejecting French society and trying to impose there own, and they have no interest in integrating into mainstream French society. It's not really religious so much as cultural. The whole place is a firecracker, sparked by two stupid guys who ran into a power exchange station and got electrocuted. Brilliant.

Apparently car burning in France is so common reports are ignored by the police.

[Sorsha Kasajian]

viva france! =^;^=

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

Two weeks? I didn't know it'd been going on for that long. I'd only heard about it a few days ago, and even then it was in passing.

[Sanis Prent]

I've seen it in the news from the beginning day. Where are you getting your news?

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

Oviously not from the same place you're getting yours :\

[Khendon Sevon]

Clearly this incident was brought on by video games and the violent tendancies they invoke in society :rolleyes

[Morgan Evanar]

Or a ~25% unemployment rate and slums. But hey, video games = unemployement :D

[Jedi Master Carr]

Its mostly the muslim youths who started the problem. Partly because they are poor but they blame the police for two kids who got electrucited trying to hide from the police. However, it is calming down now. The Curfews they installed are helping and they are doing a better job of curtailing the youths. Really the problem is these young thugs (which what they are) there is never any excuse for rioting, most of the time it is done to loot buildings anyways. If you are upset you can demonstrate peacefully. These young punks are just thugs who need to be put behind bars.
Still one thing that worries me is that fascist Le Pen is rising up there is another French Election soon, and I am worried they could elect him and next time this happens they could shoot and round up the muslims. I think Le Pen is nothing better than a Nazi.

[Lady Vader]

Psssh... I just say put snipers on the rooftops and order them to shoot to kill the looters and pillagers.

That's what they did for the LA riots, and the problem was solved the day the order was given.

Boy, I'd make a fun mayor/governor/prime minister/president. :p

[Jedi Master Carr]

Well that is dangerous because of the fact they are muslims it could bring down terrorist attacks, which is why they haven't done it I would think. The curfews though seem to be working. They have arrested 600 since it started. Just arrest them, put them in jail for a couple of months and kick out the non-citizens and the it will stop.

[Morgan Evanar]

Originally posted by Jedi Master Carr
Its mostly the muslim youths who started the problem. Partly because they are poor but they blame the police for two kids who got electrucited trying to hide from the police. However, it is calming down now. The Curfews they installed are helping and they are doing a better job of curtailing the youths. Really the problem is these young thugs (which what they are) there is never any excuse for rioting, most of the time it is done to loot buildings anyways. If you are upset you can demonstrate peacefully. These young punks are just thugs who need to be put behind bars.
Still one thing that worries me is that fascist Le Pen is rising up there is another French Election soon, and I am worried they could elect him and next time this happens they could shoot and round up the muslims. I think Le Pen is nothing better than a Nazi. It's more an issue of poor and unemployed and uninterested in joining mainstream French culture. Its got less to do with Muslim and more to do with economics and culture.

[Marceloi]

Originally posted by Lilaena De'Ville
First France, then all of Europe, imo. France's own fault too, the buggers.

Still it annoys me that this very world changing event has been going on for OVER TWO WEEKS and it's just now popped up in the news. Frickin' media. We had wall to wall coverage of Hurricane Katrina, but I suppose we can't blame France on G. W., so why talk about it?

Good grief. For one thing, if your in a habit of watching real news like the BBC you would have known about it as long as it's been going on. It's been a headline act in Australia for over 10 days at least. That is one good reason why all Americans should stop watching Fox immediatly.

The other thing is that frankly, as bad as this is for France, it's their internal problem, it's not really going to have any effect elsewhere. Katrina affected us all.

[Colonel Karrnage]

Originally posted by Marceloi
Good grief. For one thing, if your in a habit of watching real news like the BBC you would have known about it as long as it's been going on. It's been a headline act in Australia for over 10 days at least. That is one good reason why all Americans should stop watching Fox immediatly.

The other thing is that frankly, as bad as this is for France, it's their internal problem, it's not really going to have any effect elsewhere. Katrina affected us all.

No, it's even been on fox for the past 10 days. I don't know how it was missed unless Holly became Amish and her news now travels by horse ;)

[Jedi Master Carr]

Originally posted by Morgan Evanar
It's more an issue of poor and unemployed and uninterested in joining mainstream French culture. Its got less to do with Muslim and more to do with economics and culture.

That isn't what has been said on on CNN and what I have read on the ap reports. Most experts on the matter say it is because of their ethnicity. The muslim youths are hated by the French populace mainly because they are foreigners and north African, this goes back to the Algeries war and has been building for the last 20 years really. Sure they are poor but their ethnicity does have a lot to do with it. They poor because they are muslim, nobody wants to deal with them in France. I would agree with just the poor bit, but there hasn't been a single report of a non-muslim youth involved in this. Everyone that has been arrested for example have been muslims.

[Anbira Hicchoru]

That's what black people said during the Rodney King riots as well. Guess what, it was still about economics and culture!

[Jedi Master Carr]

Well that is true, but there is a big predjuce in France against Muslims, a lot of it goes back to the late 60's because of the mess in Algeria. Speaking of that there is an similarity between the riots in 68. Although those were totally different reasons. It had to do with the students upset about the situation in France at the time. But it did end the political career of DeGaulle, and these riots it looks like will end the career of Chirac.

[Atreyu]

Originally posted by Jedi Master Carr
... these riots it looks like will end the career of Chirac.
Chirac has been on the nose for ages - last I heard his approval rating had sunk below 20%. America bashing will only get you so far (just ask Gerhard Schroeder)

In fact he would have almost certainly lost the last election except that internal bickering amongst his opponents saw their votes split and Le Penn end up being getting the 2nd highest number of votes (after Chirac) during the first round of elections. Needless to say everyone saw Le Penn as even worse so they all voted Chirac.

He endeth history lesson. :)

[Lilaena De'Ville]

Originally posted by Colonel Karrnage
No, it's even been on fox for the past 10 days. I don't know how it was missed unless Holly became Amish and her news now travels by horse ;)

Its true ^_^;

[Jedi Master Carr]

Originally posted by Atreyu, Champion of the Force
Chirac has been on the nose for ages - last I heard his approval rating had sunk below 20%. America bashing will only get you so far (just ask Gerhard Schroeder)

In fact he would have almost certainly lost the last election except that internal bickering amongst his opponents saw their votes split and Le Penn end up being getting the 2nd highest number of votes (after Chirac) during the first round of elections. Needless to say everyone saw Le Penn as even worse so they all voted Chirac.

He endeth history lesson. :)

True although it was really France turning down the EU Constitution that did him in. He staked his political clout on it and it blew up in his face. Hopefully the French don't elect somebody like Le Pen though he is nothing but a fascist.