Live from the Nuke Free Zone

Residents of the suburbs ringing Paris, France have been rioting for over a week, and
the riots are spreading. It is surpring that this hasn’t gotten into the English-speaking press until today. What apparently set off the riots was when two African teenagers electrocuted themselves after breaking into a power station, while police were nearby investigating a separate crime. reports so far are skirting around the issue of race but implying that the rioters are largely Black/Arab Muslim immigrants from Africa and the Middle East. It’s hard to say how greatly friction over race, religion, and class contributed to the riots relative to each other, but I suspect all are significant factors. The CSMonitor looks into it.

I’m not familiar with French news sources or their reputations, but they are likely to have more information. Liberation leads with a quote blaming French Interior Minister Nicolas Sarkozy for sparking the riots with anti-immigrant rhetoric, but keep in mind that nearly all news accounts show the politicians of all sides have been opportunizing the situation. More notably, The News claims the teenagers were “electrocuted by the police” and that the police might be charged with neglecting to aid people in danger. About the only thing that’s clear right now is that it’s a mess and the police have yet to restore order.