Day 11- French (Muslim) Rioters Injure, Shoot at Police

"GRIGNY, France (Reuters) - More than 30 police were hurt and 800 vehicles burned in France's poor suburbs as unrest spread and intensified for an 11th night despite a vow by President Jacques Chirac to defeat it.



In Grigny, south of Paris, youths lured police into a housing estate and attacked them with pellet guns. A police spokesman said about 10 were injured, two seriously with pellets in the neck and legs.

The police union Action Police CFTC urged the government on Monday to impose a curfew on the riot-hit areas and call in the army to control the youths, many of whom are French-born citizens of Arab or African origin complaining of racial discrimination.

"Nothing seems to be able to stop the civil war that spreads a bit more every day across the whole country," it said in a statement. "The events we're living through now are without precedent since the end of the Second World War."

The head of France's main business group, Laurence Parisot, warned of the consequences of the violence for the French economy, notably on tourism and investment.

"France's image has been deeply damaged," she told Europe 1 radio.

Reacting to official suggestions that Islamist militants might be orchestrating some of the protests, one of France's largest Muslim organizations issued a fatwa against the unrest.

The violence came shortly after Chirac broke a long silence with his first public comments since the unrest began on October 27.

"The republic is quite determined, by definition, to be stronger than those who want to sow violence or fear," he said after a domestic security council met to respond to the violence in which thousands of cars have gone up in flames so far.

An Interior Ministry statement said 839 more vehicles were torched overnight. Thirty-four police were injured in clashes and 186 rioters detained.

"They really shot at officers," said one officer after about 200 youths attacked his colleagues in Grigny. "This is real, serious violence. It's not like the previous nights. I am very concerned because this is mounting."

Opposition politicians criticized government policies toward difficult neighborhoods.

"The least we can say is that the government's response has been confused and weak," Jean-Marc Ayrault, head of the Socialist Party in the National Assembly, wrote in Le Figaro daily newspaper.






This rioting has nothing to do with Muslims, and if you say so, you are racist. However, using the race card to JUSTIFY these actions, of course that's appropriate.

Hiding under the rug of political correctess is total taureau merde and further appeasement equals suicide.