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November 8, 2005
From an editorial in L'Humanite on the French riots:
Whatever the government says, the events of recent days do not reflect an isolated problem of suburban crime, but a terrible failure of the policy of urban and social segregation that has been imposed for years on the people of these districts. The suburbs are not a special case. The suburbs are France, the France that suffers at work, is unemployed ... the France of discrimination, bad housing, poor public services. Unless we give the suburbs hope, the whole country will be unable to develop and the equality that republican principles are founded upon will be nothing more than a piece of paper. The future of the French model of social justice - of all our futures - lies in the suburbs. That is why Nicolas Sarkozy wants to break them... Rather than endless images of burnt cars, we must give a voice to the suburbs. And we must listen to them!"
This is the world of a ghettoised, post-colonial France.
The urabn unrest and violence has been led by young French citizens born into first and second generation immigrant communities from France's former colonies in north Africa. The cycles of violence in the suburbs fragmented by segregation are usually sparked by the deaths of young black men at the hands of the police, and then inflamed by a contemptuous government 's tough law and order response that reaffirms assimilation not multiculturalism. It is contemptuous because the security forces reignited the urban unrest by emptying teargas canisters inside a mosque.
But see Catallaxy for differing views. And this account.
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I have some pretty strong initial feelings and opinions about this whole riot situation in France, related to my opinions of socialism and France's "imposed" form of secularism (as opposed to merely a secular government).
However, I've probably already said more than is justified since I am not French but from the U.S. It's therefore probably silly for me to think that I can appreciate the intricacies of French society - and that would be necessary for me to have true understanding.
I've seen too many comments about the U.S. from people outside my country who don't really understand the U.S. so I don't want to be guilty of the same ignorance. Instead, I'll hold on to my opinions in a very tentative way and humbly try to learn more from writers who know more than I about France's society and situation.