Now they’re using shotguns in France:
Nearly 80 French police officers have been injured, six seriously, during a second night of riots by youths in the suburbs of Paris, police unions say.
The police say some officers suffered bullet wounds, while others were hurt by stones, fireworks and petrol bombs thrown at them in Villiers-le-Bel.
The youths said they were avenging the two teenagers killed when their motorcycle hit a police car on Sunday.
A senior union official said the riots had been more intense than in 2005.
The 2005 unrest, sparked by the accidental deaths of two youths, spread from a nearby suburb of Paris to other cities and continued for three weeks, during which more than 10,000 cars were set ablaze and 300 buildings firebombed.
~~~More than 70 vehicles and buildings, including the municipal library, two schools and several shops, were set on fire.
Violence was also reported in four other towns across the Val d’Oise department.
The national secretary of the Synergie police union, Patrice Ribeiro, said at least 77 officers had been injured in the violence and that several had been wounded by shotgun pellets fired at them.
The French Interior Minister, Michele Alliot-Marie, said six police officers had been injured seriously and that they included those who had been “struck in the face and close to the eyes”.
~~~Ms Alliot-Marie said she believed the trouble had been organised and correspondents say the scale of the fury involved suggested the riots might have attracted people from outside the area.
The violence happened despite appeals for calm from the families of the two teenagers of Algerian origin whose deaths sparked the violence on Sunday evening.
~~~President Sarkozy said he wanted “everyone to calm down and let the justice system decide who was responsible.”
Mr Sarkozy was heavily criticised two years ago after he called for crime-ridden neighbourhoods to be “cleaned with a power hose” and described violent elements as “gangrene” and “rabble”.
Video of some of the damage:
Gotta love Europe where the cops bring batons to a gunfight.
Gateway Pundit has lots of photos.
Gabriel Malor asks if maybe, just maybe, the Muslims are better prepared this time and have just been waiting for any opportunity to start tearing apart their neighborhood once again. Makes sense to me.
My question is when is Sarkozy gonna stop all this crap and send in the calvary?
UPDATE
Couple good comments in the comment section which might be missed by the casual peruser so I’m gonna bring them up here. First is the comment made by one of the authors to this site, ChrisG about the weapons that are showing up in this riot:
JihadWatch has already noted that the Associated Press is trying to turn this into a gun-control issue by declaring that:
Firearms are widespread in France, and police generally carry guns.
This is of course a lie. In order to have a firearm in France
An Aussie Firearms site
for goes in depth on what firearms are allowed for civilians in France.
Here is a hint: Just like in most countries, LEGAL firearms are are not
the case here. However, ILLEGAL firearms held by these Islamic
“youths” are.A more consise example is from Gunsworld.com
If you have to go to France and to practice self
defense, you are in a pretty bad situation. Concealed carry is strictly
fobidden, unless you are a policeman ON DUTY, or someone like that.Nearly all autos calibers like .380 ACP, 9mm Para, .40S&W, and .45 ACP are considered as “war caliber” (1st category).
You can get AT MOST license for “war caliber” firearms (up to seven
central percussion guns), and that’s exclusively for target shooting.For self defense, you will no more have the choice, if you can get a
license for a such purpose (the frenchies are very restrictive),
between .32 ACP, .38 Spal and .357 Magnum (4th category) those guns can
be bought for Target shooting still with an authorization.It seems the AP is trying to push another agenda besides reporting
the truth about WHO exactly these “youths” are and WHAT is really
driving them. To the AP’s credit, they at least are stating these
youths are Arabic and North African. It is left to the reader to
actually do the research on the topic though.
And then John Murphy’s take on the underlying reasons for this riot:
Going back to the MSM media coverage at the beginnings of the war
with Iraq one of the most egregious failures, among many, was the
analysis of the lack of support from France. Of course, the
conventional explanation, as it is for almost everything, was that this
was the result of the George Bush go-it-alone style and the arrogance
of the Bush administration. This simplistic view is nonsense. France’s
foreign policy has been strongly influenced by a desire not to offend
French Muslims and thereby avoid domestic unrest among the young French
Muslim population. Not until there were the first riots some years back
did the MSM “thought leaders” discover what is actually going on.France has a huge domestic problem that has been festering for at
least forty years. There is a sizable minority population made up of
North Africans, often Algerian, and Black Africans from the former
French colonies. The young men of this population are
disproportionately poor, disenfranchised, angry and violent. They are
also, usually Muslim. I have lived in France at various times since the
seventies and have personally seen and been involved in incidents where
this youthful anger turned aggressive.Who is at fault for this situation is, of course, a complex
question. Undeniably there is racism in France, but it is more than
that. As we know from our experiences here in the U.S. once you have a
poor, segregated, community locked into a cycle of poverty, it is
difficult to turn that around regardless of good intentions or how much
money and how many programs you throw at the problem.In some ways, and I emphasize “some”, these riots are similar to
riots we have had in the U.S. in the poor African-American communities.
However, there is potentially a BIG difference. Responsible
African-American civil rights leaders have never promoted an allegiance
to authority outside the U.S. as a solution for the problems they see
being caused by a racist system. Responsible Black leaders in the U.S.
argue the opposite. Their position is that African-Americans are first
and foremost American and the problem is that they do not enjoy the
same rights and guarantees as white Americans. In France, things may go
in a different direction.Because of the existence of radical Islamic thought, and because for
many French Algerians the proximity both geographically and culturally
of Algeria is very close and an alternative to French culture, there is
the danger of a very destructive movement developing. If the aggressive
young men involved in these riots go from being hooligans to seeing
themselves as holy warriors in the Jihad against the West, France’s
social problems and the potential for violence of great destructive
force have increased geometrically. And, of course, I am sure that Al
Qaeda is doing everything it can to exploit the situation. Believe me,
if a young French North African suicide bomber attacks in Paris or any
major French city this situation will go from unpleasant to very, very
ugly in a heartbeat. And, I can guarantee that there are people in
France worried about just such a possibility. The only upside I see to
any of this is that I don’t think it can be blamed on President Bush,
although let’s give the MSM time. They are an inventive lot.
Meanwhile the riots continue for a third night:
Youths rampaged for a third night in the tough suburbs north of
Paris and violence spread to a southern city late Tuesday as police
struggled to contain rioters who have burned cars and buildings and —
in an ominous turn — shot at officers.A senior police union
official warned that “urban guerrillas” had joined the unrest, saying
the violence was worse than during three weeks of rioting that raged
around French cities in 2005, when firearms were rarely used.Bands
of young people set more cars on fire in and around Villiers-le-Bel,
the Paris suburb where the latest trouble first erupted, and 22 youths
were taken into custody, the regional government said. In the southern
city of Toulouse, 20 cars were set ablaze, and fires at two libraries
were quickly brought under control, police said.Despite the
renewed violence, France’s prime minister said the situation was calmer
than the two previous nights. About 1,000 officers patrolled trouble
spots in and around Villiers-le-Bel on Tuesday, he said.The
government was striving to keep violence from spreading in what was
shaping up as a stern test for new President Nicolas Sarkozy. The
unrest showed anger still smolders in France’s poor neighborhoods,
where many Arabs, blacks and other minorities live largely isolated
from the rest of society.
About the shotguns:
Patrice Ribeiro of the Synergie police union said rioters this time included “genuine urban guerrillas,” saying the use of firearms — hunting shotguns so far — had added a dangerous dimension.
Police said 82 officers were injured Monday night, 10 of them by buckshot and pellets. Four were seriously wounded, the force said. Police unions said 30 officers were struck by buckshot.
One rioter with a shotgun “was firing off two shots, reloading in a stairwell, coming back out — boom, boom — and firing again,” said Gilles Wiart, No. 2 official in the SGP-FO police union.
Youths, many of them Arab and black children of immigrants, again appeared to be lashing out at police and other targets seen to represent a French establishment they feel has left them behind.
“I don’t think it’s an ethnic problem,” Wiart said. “Most of all it is youths who reject all state authority. They attack firefighters, everything that represents the state.”
And finally some talk that this kind of chaos will not be accepted:
The prime minister, François Fillon, who visited the scene yesterday
morning, announced increased security for tonight. “I’d like to pay
tribute to the police, who had an extremely difficult night,” he said.
“Those who shoot at police are criminals and they will be treated as
such.”He told firefighters in the town: “We will not let go. We will fight with all the force the nation is capable of.”
Now that is the kind of talk I like to hear.
See author page
“The police say some officers suffered bullet wounds, while others were hurt by stones, fireworks and petrol bombs.”
Fireworks? Wonder if these rioting Muzzies are relatives of the SC “fireworks enthusiasts?”
JihadWatch has already noted that the Associated Press is trying to turn this into a gun-control issue by declaring that:
This is of course a lie. In order to have a firearm in France
An Aussie Firearms site for goes in depth on what firearms are allowed for civilians in France. Here is a hint: Just like in most countries, LEGAL firearms are are not the case here. However, ILLEAGAL firearms held by these Islamic “youths” are.
A more consise example is from Gunsworld.com
French News Site
This is how MS Word translates Frech to English so my apologies for its literallness….
To sum up:
-This is not a “Youth” Riot, it is an insurrection
-Police and French citizens are frightened
-The “youths” are VERY well organized and mobile. There must be a higher level of planning and execution which leads back to the first point of this being an insurrection/hostile takeover.
-As with our inner city gangs in the US, the “youths” are armed with ILLEGAL firearms and were using them to enforce power between gangs, but are now using them against police. I emphasis “illegal” as the French Police have been intercepting shipments of banned weapons from Africa entering these areas.
-Police are responding, as US Police and other Western Police services would, with riot gear and less-than leathal weapons, but are running out of options.
-Areas are declaring states of emergency and shutting down infrastructure like gas stations.
Anyone besides me taking notes? I have no doubt this will become a more frquent occurance in the future.
That didn’t qutoe exactly how I wanted it too…. Sorry. The full French Quote ends at “To sum up”
Going back to the MSM media coverage at the beginnings of the war with Iraq one of the most egregious failures, among many, was the analysis of the lack of support from France. Of course, the conventional explanation, as it is for almost everything, was that this was the result of the George Bush go-it-alone style and the arrogance of the Bush administration. This simplistic view is nonsense. France’s foreign policy has been strongly influenced by a desire not to offend French Muslims and thereby avoid domestic unrest among the young French Muslim population. Not until there were the first riots some years back did the MSM “thought leaders†discover what is actually going on.
France has a huge domestic problem that has been festering for at least forty years. There is a sizeable minority population made up of North Africans, often Algerian, and Black Africans from the former French colonies. The young men of this population are disproportionately poor, disenfranchised, angry and violent. They are also, usually Muslim. I have lived in France at various times since the seventies and have personally seen and been involved in incidents where this youthful anger turned aggressive.
Who is at fault for this situation is, of course, a complex question. Undeniably there is racism in France, but it is more than that. As we know from our experiences here in the U.S. once you have a poor, segregated, community locked into a cycle of poverty, it is difficult to turn that around regardless of good intentions or how much money and how many programs you throw at the problem.
In some ways, and I emphasize “someâ€Â, these riots are similar to riots we have had in the U.S. in the poor African-American communities. However, there is potentially a BIG difference. Responsible African-American civil rights leaders have never promoted an allegiance to authority outside the U.S. as a solution for the problems they see being caused by a racist system. Responsible Black leaders in the U.S. argue the opposite. Their position is that African-Americans are first and foremost American and the problem is that they do not enjoy the same rights and guarantees as white Americans. In France, things may go in a different direction.
Because of the existence of radical Islamic thought, and because for many French Algerians the proximity both geographically and culturally of Algeria is very close and an alternative to French culture, there is the danger of a very destructive movement developing. If the aggressive young men involved in these riots go from being hooligans to seeing themselves as holy warriors in the Jihad against the West, France’s social problems and the potential for violence of great destructive force have increased geometrically. And, of course, I am sure that Al Qaeda is doing everything it can to exploit the situation. Believe me, if a young French North African suicide bomber attacks in Paris or any major French city this situation will go from unpleasant to very, very ugly in a heartbeat. And, I can guarantee that there are people in France worried about just such a possibility. The only upside I see to any of this is that I don’t think it can be blamed on President Bush, although let’s give the MSM time. They are an inventive lot.
John,
Very insightful. I have only visited France on occasion in the late 90s while stationed in Germany. Even then I visited only Metz, Ruen, and the Normandy Coast.
I know France, under Chirac, had enormous illicit financial ties with Saddam, however, the Algerian Connection is also paramount.
AQ, though losing on every other front, could see France as their “Battle of the Bulge”. It could turn into their “Marianas Turkey Shoot” (with them being the turkeys) or solidly subdue France. Either may wake the Western World up to the need to not only defend itself, but accept that Western Culture, History, and Thought is worth defending (reversing years of “multi-culturalist” indoctrination).
With AQ fanatics, or subsidiaries thereof, bombing “neutral” France, the world would have to face the reality the Israelis have been yelling from the mountain top for years. That being “when these islamofascists say they want to kill you, believe them and defend yourselves or suffer.”
Every event is a “crossroads in history”. This one may be much larger than others. I wonder which fork we will take.
Will there be another Charles Martel for France?
Excellent comments Chris and John. In fact I put them up on the main post for those people who usually don’t read comments.
I hope they burn that whole disgusting country down…