Merlin the Magician
At the Start
LE BLANC-MESNIL, France (Reuters) - Rioters set fire to at least 150 vehicles in an eighth night of unrest in the impoverished suburbs of northeastern Paris as exasperated local officials criticised politicking by national leaders.
Rioting erupted again late on Thursday despite hopes that festivities ending the fasting month of Ramadan would calm rioters, many of them Muslims of North African origin
protesting against race bias they say keeps them in a second-class status.
Police said there were fewer confrontations than previous nights when police and fire crews were fired upon by some rioters. At least 150 vehicles were destroyed overnight according to the latest official figures.
Security officials said the presence of about 1,300 riot police had acted as a deterrent, although rioters set fire to two textile warehouses.
"Why a school, why a car? What can you say about such blind violence," said Trappes mayor Michel Beaumale outside the smouldering ruins of a local primary school. A bus depot in the town, southwest of Paris, was also destroyed.
For the first time disturbances spread to provincial towns, youths torching cars in Dijon, Rouen and the Bouches-du-Rhone area dominated by Marseille.
Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin met local officials late on Thursday to brief them about an "action plan for the suburbs" he aims to present this month.
"The priority is restoring public order because this violence is unacceptable. But I also want to start a dialogue," he told reporters afterwards.
But local officials complained loudly about dithering and politicking among national leaders.
"Many of us told him this isn't the time for an umpteenth plan," said Jean-Christophe Lagarde, mayor of Drancy in the riot-hit region. "All we need is one death and I think it will get out of control."
LAW AND ORDER "ABSOLUTE PRIORITY"
Manuel Valls, mayor of Evry south of the capital, said: "We're afraid that what's happening in Seine Saint Denis will spread. We have to give these people a message of hope."
Rioting among young men of North African and black African origin began last week after two teenagers of African origin died while apparently fleeing the police.
The rioters are mostly locally born citizens who feel cheated by France's official promises of liberty, equality and fraternity.
Unemployment in Seine Saint Denis, one of the worst affected areas, is 4 percentage points above the national average of 9.8 percent. In some areas, youth unemployment climbs to one-third or more. The proportion of job seekers from outside the European Union is about three times the national average.
Villepin and Interior Minister Nicolas Sarkozy have in recent days sought to present a united front to mask an increasingly bitter political rivalry ahead of 2007 presidential elections which has overshadowed the government's response.
The prime minister was forced to put off a trip to Canada to tackle the crisis and end squabbling in his government over how to respond.
Opponents on the left and right have accused Sarkozy of inflaming passions with his outspoken attacks on the "scum" behind the violence, a charge some local mayors said showed he was out of touch.
"They are not all hooligans. Some of them just come along for the fun. Instead of playing on their PlayStations, they have a go at the riot police," Gerard Gaudron, mayor of the Aulnay-sous-Bois suburb told the Liberation daily.
"In a few days they'll return to normal life and then we'll be able to take care of the others," he said.
Occassional violent protest has long been part of the French political landscape, though the latest unrest has dented the conservatives credentials on law and order, an issue that helped President Jacques Chirac win re-election in 2002.