Race Riots in France
 

Anyone read about the riots in France?

read here
Pictures
President urges calm
Someone likened it to a "civil war"

I, personally, had no idea that things were so tense in France with muslims. From the articles I have read, it seems pretty cut and dry that 2 teens and an adult were running away from police and the 2 kids died by accidental electrocution. My instinct is to say: that's your own fault, you shouldn't be running away from police. The cops say they weren't actually chasing those 3, they were looking for a burglar. But if the cops were really just trying to arrest anyone and make the crime "stick" to someone of that race, then I can see why they'd run. Either way, I think it's wrong for any population to riot. They are basically taking out their aggression on their french neighbors, they certainly haven't done much damage to the police.

The whole thing is absurd.

Rioting has got to be the dumbest thing I've ever heard of. Lets kill some people destroy buisness and overall be a major pain in the rear therefore dissolving any sympathy we have had.

There is a very clear difference between a riot and a revolution. Revolutions are designed to remove the current powers and reinstate others in accordance to the whims of the revolutionists. Riots are outlets of agression by large masses of people at no particular target - they are not meant to change the staus quo. Though both result (usually) in violence, a riot's is due more to attacks of opportunity and selfishness than any plan for takeover. A revolution might be started in a riot (Boston Tea Party and the like - though I wouldn't even call that a true riot), but they are not the same thing.

A riot can have aims and usually has. The difference is that those aims might vary a bit more than in a revolution. Then a gain, maybe not.

People don't go rioting just cause they feel like having some excitement. Of course there are reasons and aims behind a riot.

And I wouldn't really call rioting a 'nice' thing to wake up the french goverment.

The fact that these riots are still continuing indicates that not enough is actually being done to stop them. It also indicates that the people rioting have some real grudge against their goverment.

the bbc had a good summary today of both what was happenning and possibly why:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/4407688.stm

insteresting moves by the french prime minister de Villepin.

How's that for political correctness out of control. He calls rioting youths who are burning cars and destroying the suburbs "hoodlums" and garners criticism for it. I'd be calling those kids a lot harsher words than that if I were living there and had my car burned.

as with most things, political correctness cuts both ways. at least sarkozy had only sparked "some" criticism for his comments, and de villepin has come under fire only from a small group of officials. with the former, critics possibly believe that it discounts the motives of many of the participants and dismisses them as criminals; with the later, the officials possibly believe it is coddling the criminals and maybe letting terrorists win.

at least, the "united front" of the two men ,ight signal there is hope for a good resolution in france.

As a briefe segway - I was somewhat under the impression that the general french social perceptions, at least in certain areas, were not some of the most tolerant... But then again, all countries have some little, eh, 'stananks' we'll call them.

In anycase, I'm inclined to agree with adamark - How real rioting improves anything or get's any point across is beyond me.

"The peasants are revolting!" Such a great double entendre.

Nique, do you mean things like banning headscarves or hate crimes?

Unfortunately, I couldn't find anything on the hate crime rate in America (I remembered reading the French articles before, hence why they were easy to find).

But aye, riots never seem to get much good done. Be it a Peasant Revolt or the Nika Riots, they never seem to get resolved short of bloodshed. Though I suppose that gets rid of the unrest, one way or another.