Rioting by French youths spread to 300 towns overnight, and a 61-year-old man hurt in the violence died of his wounds, the first fatality in 11 days of unrest that has shocked the country, police said Monday.
As urban unrest was reported in neighboring Belgium and Germany, the French government faced growing criticism for its inability to stop the violence, despite massive police deployment and continued calls for calm. One riot-hit town in suburban Paris said it was preparing to enforce a curfew.
I still don't know what is going on. Is this the jihad coming to France or basically frustration at lack of equality? Still, it seems hard to ignore the fact that radical Islam has at least a supporting role. I did note four months ago that when the Europeans decide to deal with their Moslem problem, I think they will be ruthless. Seven months ago, I wrote of the hatred young French radical Moslems have for the French "little whites" who are in their view cowards. And ten months ago, I noted jihadis returning to France. In all of these posts, I remained certain that the ability of Europeans to inflict violence may have atrophied but will return if the threat becomes great enough and direct enough.
So the main question is what will trigger the European instinct to fight? Is this latest violence a planned insurrection, as Captain's Quarters suggests in this interesting post, and so the trigger for the fight reflex?
The riots in France have little connection to the Islamist terrorist offensive against the West, if the American media coverage gives any indication. However, alert CQ reader Mr. Michael points out that both American and French media sources warned of coordinated Islamist action against France in the weeks before the riot. Agence France Presse even had a quote from the maligned Nicolas Sarkozy noting the imminent nature of the threat.
Of course, the first story gives the appeasers some hope that there is nothing ominous about the spreading violence. It's all about economic and social conditions and French failures to grant happiness to the Moslem minority. Hate has nothing to do with it. If it did, why is the violence so focused on automobiles?
On Sunday night, vandals burned more than 1,400 vehicles, and clashes around the country left 36 police injured, setting a new high for overnight arson and violence since rioting started last month, national police chief Michel Gaudin told a news conference.
Odd, no? All those burning cars. Perhaps this isn't even social unrest after all let alone Islamism. Perhaps those who refuse to see radical Islam anywhere will seize on the vehicle arson to argue the Moslems just hate cars. Maybe the Apologistas will build an explanation that springs from the wisdom of Navin R. Johnson:
He hates these cans! Stay away from the cans!
Of course, he was just a jerk.
But just in case, stay away from the cars.
