French Riots Reloaded

Among those involved in the riots yesterday was the survivor of the electrocution incident that ostensibly set off the month long riots in November 2005 that destroyed more than 9,000 cars, damaged hundreds of businesses, and saw hundreds of rioters arrested.

The police in the two towns northeast of Paris, Montfermeil and Clichy-sous-Bois, arrested 13 people, including Muhittin Altun, 18, the only survivor of the electrocution accident that set off the wave of violence last year. Two youths died in that incident.

About 15 youths attacked the police with rocks and other projectiles in a housing project in Clichy-sous-Bois about 9 p.m. Tuesday. The police responded with tear gas and rubber bullets, and arrested a number of the alleged assailants, including Mr. Altun, said a national police spokeswoman, who under police rules cannot be identified. The attackers also burned a number of vehicles and set fire to a police car in which four officers were sitting, the spokeswoman said. The officers escaped unharmed.

al Jazeera would like folks to believe that the reason that these riots occurred was because of the ongoing failure of the French government to deal with chronic unemployment and academic failure among immigrant populations. Well, the French did try to deal with the problem, but student groups and unions struck back at the proposed changes and the government backed down from changes that would have made it easier for employers to fire bad workers. The French government reasoned (correctly, I believe) that because it is so difficult to fire bad workers, employers have little incentive to hire new workers.

Of course, there's no excuse for the rioting - either in November, or the current rioting. It's thuggery, pure and simple. And the French government has been reluctant to crack down on the thugs who are leading these riots. The French are lucky that more people haven't been injured or killed to this point - as noted by the fact that four policemen were caught in a car that got firebombed and thankfully escaped before suffering injuries.

Opposition groups claim that the French government hasn't made any changes - and they'd be correct. Of course, the opposition groups should take up their complaints with the other French groups that blocked changes that might have improve the employment situation.