French
hold crisis talks on riots
French
hold crisis talks on riots
The unrest has been spreading
French ministers have held crisis talks after six nights of riots in
immigrant communities in the north-east of Paris.
No details have emerged from the meeting, but earlier President Jacques
Chirac appealed for calm.
Unrest
flared after two teenagers were electrocuted. Locals say they were fleeing
police, which authorities deny.
The prime
minister said a disruptive minority should not be confused with the
majority, who want to integrate.
"Let's
avoid stigmatising areas," Dominique de Villepin told parliament.
"Let's...
avoid confusing a disruptive minority with the vast majority of youngsters
who want to integrate into society and succeed."
Correspondents
say Mr de Villepin's comments were a rebuke to his political rival,
Interior Minister Nicolas Sarkozy, who has called the rioters "scum".
Both men
have delayed trips abroad to try to calm the unrest, as Mr Chirac warned
of a "dangerous situation".
"The
law must be applied in a spirit of dialogue and respect," he said.
"A
lack of dialogue and an escalation of disrespectful behaviour will lead
to a dangerous situation," he told a cabinet meeting, according
to a spokesman.
Social
problems
Gangs of
youths clashed with police and torched 180 cars in several areas around
Paris in a sixth night of violence following the deaths.
"When you fire real bullets at police, you're not a 'youth', you're
a thug "
Nicolas Sarkozy
French Interior Minister
The original
flashpoint of Clichy-sous-Bois, where police were out in force, was
calmer, but trouble flared in nearby areas.
At least
15 cars were torched in Aulnay-sous-Bois. Police fired rubber bullets
and arrested 34 people.
Correspondents
say anger grew after a tear gas canister was hurled into a mosque in
Clichy-sous-Bois on Sunday night. Emotions have also been fuelled by
mass arrests.
Unrest
flared in Clichy after two teenage boys of North African origin were
electrocuted on Thursday at an electricity sub-station.
Local people
insist they were fleeing from police and scrambled in to hide. Police
say they were not chasing the boys.
An official
investigation is under way.
Clichy
saw five successive nights of confrontation between police and young
people from the mainly north African Muslim communities in the north-eastern
suburb.
Unemployment
and social problems are rife in many of France's poorer suburban areas.
Police
have reported sporadic incidents involving groups of youths in the Val-d'Oise,
Seine-et-Marne, Hauts-de-Seine and Yvelines regions of Paris.
source BBCnews
http://newssearch.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/in_pictures/4399456.stm
