The French Snafu

Yesterday, French officials made a startling admission of their own incompetence. They've admitted that they accept a certain level of violence in their country. According to their car torching metric (the car-be-que), the riots have been quelled because the number of cars torched is down to the usual 100 or so a night.

Police said 98 vehicles were torched on Wednesday night, marking a "return to a normal situation everywhere in France".

A state of emergency remains in force after parliament voted on Wednesday to extend it for three months.

Almost 9,000 cars have been set ablaze and about 3,000 people have been arrested since the violence erupted.

The police service said the figure of 98 cars burnt was in line with the nightly average before the trouble began on 27 October.

At the height of the violence, more than 1,400 vehicles were destroyed in a single night.

So, let's get the story straight. France accepted a certain level of violence - 100 cars a night, and they're declaring these riots over because we've gone back to the old level. Or, that's what the French authorities would like you to believe. The fact is that the old levels were 20-40 cars a night, and even that shouldn't have been tolerated.

And French authorities are continuing to chide journalists over exaggerating the problems. Sounds to me like Officer Barbrady of South Park is in charge. Move along. Nothing to see here. No Pasaran also notes that the socialists are doing what they do best - lying about the conditions in France and misleading the public.

UPDATE:
The Brussels Journal examines the latest excuse for the riots in France: polygamy. Yes, that does explain everything. Methinks that the French are grasping at straws and don't have a clue as to what to do.

UPDATE:
This article in Focus English News suggests things are far more difficult than we wish they would be.