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More Riots In France
Well, we had a go at the Independent newspaper earlier for imagining that a student union protest against two BNP nutters amounted to an "uprising against fascism." It's only fair to criticise the other end of the political scale, this time the Daily Telegraph, which today claims that the riots which flared up in several housing estates north of the French capital have "left Paris in flames."
Come on. Your correspondent is in Paris today and can guarantee he saw no flames of any sort. The scene of the riots is more than 20km from Paris.
Yes, there were riots last night, spreading from Villiers-le-Bel, where two boys were killed when their unlicensed scooter collided with a police car. 120 police fought rioters in Villiers-le-Bel and several other towns in the northern suburbs of Paris: Several dozen cars were set alight, a tradition for rioting French youths in the grim housing estates, and one which does not require police action to provoke - New Year's Eve is generally the most popular time for this charming expression of community identity.
More seriously, several police officers have been wounded, and five are described as being in "serious" condition. Police say they have been shot at with air rifles and perhaps worse. Some youths, interviewed in French newspapers, claim to have "declared war" on the cops. One older resident didn't see much wrong in this, but wishes that the youngsters would concentrate on attacking the police and not burn the property of residents in the estates.
Some police union sources say that the riots are "hotter" than those of 2005, though at this stage they are nowhere near as widespread as those which began in nearby Clichy-sous-Bois. Union representatives say their men will not tolerate being targeted by gunmen.
Yes, a dangerous situation and the French government has responded by calling an emergency meeting. But please, no "Paris is Burning" headlines: The Telegraph is supposed to be an intelligent newspaper - is it playing here to anti-French fantasists or so desperate for eyeballs that its exaggerating stories to the point of absurdity?
