Reuters is reporting that 10 French police have been injured from gunfire in Grigny, which is south of Paris. Two of them were hospitalized.
Meanwhile Chirac, 10 days after the rioting started, made his first public statement. He said, "The Republic is quite determined, by definition, to be stronger than those who want to sow violence or fear." Well Jacques, you might start by calling out the army to start busting heads.
9 comments:
Never say never, David. I never thought I would see the end of the Soviet Union. But I did. People almost always react to painful situations by first ignoring them and hoping they will go away. Only when they are pushed over and over again and have time to respond to a new reality do they take the necessary measures. Then what tends to happen is swift and violent. I wouldn't rule the French out just yet.
France will fight back eventually. i read an earlier article that had some polling showing some 65% favoring Nicolas Sarkozy and his hardline approach.
For Chirac and Villepin a tough response vindicates Sarkozy, but at some point public pressure will be too much and they'll have to bite the bullet and seriously respond.
What has Chiraq been doing all this time? Trying to work his way through My Pet Goat?
France is finished.
I don't think so. After the fifth republic comes the sixth. I think the French will see the defects of a seven year presidential term. I wonder what the next constitution will look like?
ambi
I cited your post over at Roger's place, where this discussion is quite pertinent...
Jamie Irons
Rick,
Thanks for pointing me to that discussion. I just posted the following (more or less), over there.
Earlier in the week I mentioned that sooner or later the EU's Open border policy was going to start to work its way into this issue. Here is an ABC News item that briefly mentions, at the very end, the governments of Italy and Germany reactions to the rioting. They both express the opinion that the same situation is brewing in their ghettoes.
The fear is spreading out from France. This will end up being a Eureopean-wide problem, particularily with the slow and inept French response so far.
Ambi,
You're very welcome.
If France can survive the Black Death, The crusades, the Dark Ages, The French Revolution, Napoleon and two world wars, they can survive this.
I hope.
David,
You're also assuming we're going to let them in. We probably won't. I have a neighbor who was a British policewoman, her husband a computer specialist from Ireland, and they can't get green cards to save their souls. There's a fellow at work from Canada, same situation. But illegal Mexicans by the millions getting free get-out-of-jail cards from the Californians, no problem.
We aren't going to allow stinking Westerners in this country any more. Who do think we are anyway?
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