by John M. Curtis
(310) 204-8700

Copyright November 7, 2005
All Rights Reserved.

owing to restore order from two weeks to rioting in mostly Muslim neighborhoods, French President Jacques Chirac became part of the problem, failing to act decisively while law-abiding citizens watched their property trashed and rights violated. While rioters torched another 1,400 cars, French police were ordered show restraint, spreading arson and violence to more than 300 towns, threatening to engulf the entire country. Rioters opened fire on French police, injuring two officers and beating a bystander to death with a baseball bat, according to press reports. “This spread, with a sort of shock wave spreading across the country, shows up in the number of towns affected,” said national police chief Michel Gaudin, admitting French authorities were not controlling the streets. Copycat violence also spread to Brussels' main train station, where five cars were torched.

      Since rioting broke out Oct. 27 in the low-income North Paris suburb of Clichy-sous-Bois, after two teenagers were accidentally electrocuted, 4,700 cars have gone up in smoke. Instead of moving in quickly to suppress the violence, French authorities gave rioters too much time to get out of hand. "The law must have the last word,” said Chirac, whose security ministers haven't yet come up with a plan to suppress the violence. France is going “to be stronger than those who want to sow violence and fear, and they will be arrested, judged and punished,” saying nothing about how he plans to stop the rioting. Chirac's apparent successor, Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin, sent mixed signals, telling lawbreakers that France would correct racial and economic inequalities in its minority communities. Before the government negotiates with hooligans, France must figure out how to stop the anarchy.

      Responding to violence requires commensurate force, sending an unambiguous message that lawbreakers will pay a draconic price—possibly death. No government can sit idly by while outlaws control the streets. Perpetrators must be punished immediately not threatened with possible reprisals. Chirac's equivocation has given a segment of the Islamic population the green light to riot. De Villepin's attempt to placate disenfranchised groups gives further justification for violent protests. Whoever engages in anarchy must know that it won't be tolerated under any circumstances. Dealing with missed opportunities, ethnic discrimination, social and political dislocation or spending untold billions to correct systemic problems, must come after French authorities reclaim the streets, not, as de Villepin promised, negotiating peace with anarchists seeking concessions.

      Xenophobia in French society, expressed eloquently through right wing politicians like Jean-Marie Le Pen, takes on new meaning with Islamic populations torching French society. While Le Pen appealed to some ethnocentric French, he also spewed hateful rhetoric about Jews, Arabs and North Africans. France faces the same discontent and anarchy sporadically expressed in America's big cities, when racial minorities vent collective rage. “We understand also that the evolution of things requires respect for everyone, justice and equality of opportunities,” said Chirac, hoping to deescalate growing violence. Giving restive populations a legitimate rationale contributes to more violence and rioting. There's no justification for murder and destruction of personal and public property. Once riots start, it's difficult to stop anarchy from upending an otherwise peaceful society.

      French authorities must crackdown on lawbreakers, using sufficient numbers of armed police and military force, if necessary. It remains to be seen whether today's riots are orchestrated by foreign terrorist groups seeking to intimidate and blackmail the French government. So far, authorities don't see outside interference from groups like Al Qaeda or other terror organizations. In 2004, Islamic terrorists bombed Spain's commuter trains, killing 192 commuters. A year later, home-grown Muslim terrorists in Britain bombed the London underground, killing 37 innocent passengers. Combing through housing projects, French police haven't yet unearthed caches of illicit weapons or explosives. Allowing teenage rebels to run wild, decimate property and attack the police sends a dangerous message to a society no longer capable of maintaining law and order.

      Chirac and de Villepin must wake up out of their narcoleptic states and order French officials to set down the rebellion. It's not enough to promise reengineering French society when innocent bystanders watch their property and neighborhoods burned to the ground. If French police can't do the job, then Chirac must order the military to pick up the slack. U.S. authorities, especially in big cities like Los Angeles and Detroit, have good experience what to do with riots and street violence. No American city tolerates the kind of destruction permitted by French authorities. “The Law must have the last word,” said Chirac, talking tough but tying the hands of police to use appropriate force to reestablish order. Young terrorists can't be allowed torch cars, burn schools, upend neighborhoods and control the streets. Chirac must stop the violence before making promises.

About the Author

John M. Curtis writes politically neutral commentary analyzing spin in national and global news. He's editor of OnlineColumnist.com and author of Dodging The Bullet and Operation Charisma.

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