---------- Forwarded message ---------- Date: Mon, 7 Nov 2005 08:56:17 -0600 From: Dean Ferguson <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Reply-To: French History discussion group <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: Paris Unrest
From: Sebastien VOSGIEN [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Monday, November 07, 2005 4:16 AM Subject: Paris Unrest Hello, I am a french student in History of Law, living in inner Paris. I am answering to the query on riots in France. In Paris itself, situation appears to be calm and to be franck the quietness of people in the streets and public transports is rather strange. Some friends of us have nonetheless told about some incidents. For instance, the car of my girlfriend best friend had been destroyed by fire, in Paris itself (saturday night). Another friend, whose girlfriend work in a mall center in the northen suburb, told that the mall center had been rampaged several times and was constantly guarded by CRS. Another friend had saw his car been damaged twice in a week, in the parking of the mall center (in Paris) where he works. Some public transports are disturbed, because of spontaneous strikes linked to agressions of passengers and conductors. Buses and police building had been attacked in the suburban town where my parents live. I did myself change the place of my car, and parked it in the town of my parents. Friday night, we played soccer, as usual, with friends in the southern suburb, and some unknown youths were watching us (they wore the "streetwear uniform of suburbs", but were not hostile at all, just considering us). I do not have a tv set. I think that the radio coverage of the incidents is rather cool-tempered, because journalists, obviously, are afraid of unleashing fright. In short, in Paris itself and in the mostly white suburban cities of Paris, the situation seems under control, but it is impossible for me to witness about the feelings of inhabitants of rundown neighbourghoods. Jacques Chirac, the president of the Republic, had issued yesterday a message. I did not see the images, but it was rather curious. He seemed totally disconnected, and the tone of his voice was curiously "neutral". He did not name his first minister and minister of Interior, refering to them only by their functions.
