These Aren't The Riots You're Looking For

So, the French are still having problems with their little rioters. Or should I call 'em "unaccompanied adults lacking proper supervision?" Or disaffected youth.

No. I'll still call the thugs and rioters who are torching dozens of cars nightly around France rioters and thugs. Which is exactly what they are.

According to Mr. Frattaci, 79 vehicles were torched on December, 3, 46 — on the 4th, 50 — on the 5th, and 56 more were set ablaze on the night of December, 6. He stressed that the assembled data clearly justifies the continuation of the State of Emergency.

The Ministry's representative also pointed at the necessity of using "maximum caution" on the threshold of the Christmas and New Year holiday season, since it has been consistently met with an upsurge in suburban violence and vandalism throughout the previous years.

Now, there aren't exactly a gaggle of news reports that confirm this, but then again this kind of violence was tolerated for months and years before it exploded into an orgy of car torchings the likes of which France hadn't seen in more than a generation. Now, the torchings may be on the annual upswing due to the holiday season. Nice.