10 Officers Shot as Riots Worsen in French Cities - New York Times

10 Officers Shot as Riots Worsen in French Cities - New York Times

The French riots have now become a serious threat to civil order and the government's response must be to crack down on the violence now that it involves shooting and injuring of police and firefighters. We have here a precursor to a growing problem in Europe as immigration without assimilation creates conditions of poverty, unrest, discrimination and now wanton destruction of private and public property.

Chirac has a real problem on his hands. With this unassimilated Muslim underclass, his country is threatened by internal terror.

Here's what Time Magazine has to say:

"Muslim and Arab newcomers arrive, they are officially French and do not need special treatment to guarantee their equality. While in theory the children of immigrants have the same rights as their white counterparts, many suffer persistent discrimination when it comes to jobs, decent housing and upward mobility. They have virtually no political leaders--just one current Cabinet minister is Algerian-born--to carry their interests into the halls of power. Many of France's estimated 5 million Muslims feel the country has promised more than it has delivered. Not surprisingly, despair and anger run deep.

Liberté, égalité, fraternité are ideals that France has nurtured over the centuries. But they were in little evidence last week around Paris. Changing that will require the French to confront the widening disparities between those in the banlieues (suburbs where the Mulims live) and the rest of the country. Until then, the rage and resentment inflaming the streets will surely continue to smolder."