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Rioting spills out of Paris

Vaiju Naravane

Villepin appeares powerless to stop the spread of violence

Seine Saint-Denis (Northern Paris): In the worst night of violence yet, gangs of rioting young men from Paris' deprived outlying suburbs, most of them from immigrant communities went on the rampage for the eighth successive night burning cars and buses, throwing sticks, stones and petrol bombs at the police and attacking schools, police stations and private businesses.

Over 500 cars and scores of buses were torched and in one of the most serious incidents in this northern suburb, prosecutors said, a handicapped woman was deliberately set alight. Officials said they arrested over 78 persons. The conservative government led by Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin appeared powerless to stop the spread of the riots, despite the talk of "firmness coupled with dialogue."

Conciliatory approach

The Government appears to be wavering between the "zero tolerance" policies of hardline Interior Minister Nicolas Sarkozy and calls for a more conciliatory approach to take account of the rioters' grievances.

More than 1,300 police were deployed in a vain attempt to restore order around the city, following declarations by the Prime Minister that he would "not allow organised gangs to make the law in the suburbs." The Government now appears to be debating whether or not to send in the army to stop the rioters.

The most worrying fact is that the violence appears to be spreading to other towns such as Dijon, Marseille and Normandy, and inside the capital itself. Trouble has now been reported from almost 90 towns around the capital, more than twice as many as the previous night, according to police, who said rioters had been crossing into new neighbourhoods to evade police deployments.

On Thursday, Mr. Sarkozy said the violence was being orchestrated by unknown organisers. "What we have been witnessing ... has nothing spontaneous about it. It was perfectly organised. We are trying to find out by who and how," he said. The Minister — who has ambitions to become President after elections in 2007 — also rejected accusations that his rhetoric had fuelled the rioters' anger.

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