Reports out of France seem to indicate that there was a slight decrease in the rioting in French cities, but it is still going on as of Saturday night.
During the day, the young Algerian killed by police was buried.
Rioting has also reportedly broken out in Brussels, Belgium and Lausanne, Switzerland.
Probably the worst example of violence occurred in Marseille Thursday night when two police officers in civilian clothes while driving ran into a street blocked by fires and were recognized as police by some in the crowd. The officers were badly beaten by several Arab men, a part of which was videotaped and put onto social media, probably by someone in the mob. It shows one of the victims lying unconscious in the street while members of the mob scream abuse at him and videotape him. The video can be viewed at RAIR Foundation USA with a viewer warning. It is shocking.
As I have previously written, the circumstances surrounding the police shooting of the young man identified only as Nahel M. are troubling, but even though there is a video, we don't have all the details yet. Whatever the final verdict on that may be, there is no justification for what has occurred in French cities since Tuesday. This is hardly the first such riot in France or in other European countries,. It has been going on for years now, coupled with Islamic terrorist attacks, murders, attacks on Christian churches, assaults on Jews, rapes, and drug trafficking.
I am fully aware that France, thanks to its colonialist past, is now home to millions of people from many of those former colonies in Asia, North Africa, sub-Saharan Africa, and the Caribbean. Many have put down roots in France and they should not all be considered criminals. But there is no denying that there are millions of disaffected immigrant youth in France to say nothing of all the new arrivals who pour into Europe every day. A large part of France's problem consists of Maghrebians from North Africa, Tunisia, Algeria, and Morocco, all former colonies. I stress again that there are many who are innocent, who have integrated, and who cause no harm. That said, the situation in France is intolerable, and will not be fixed in my view. It should also be mentioned that you don't see France's Asian immigrants doing this. Where are the Vietnamese riots, the Cambodian riots, and the Laotian riots? Much of this is Islamist-driven, and France, like most of Western Europe, must make a choice. Either surrender to the Islamists and the mobs or fight. The police are already fighting, but as we have noted, they are not getting support from the government.
In a democracy, there should be a legal and peaceful way to fix problems by voting out bad or corrupt politicians and bringing in new politicians who want to fight through the legislature, the courts, and using police to arrest the troublemakers. That must include deporting criminals who do not have French citizenship-which many of the rioters probably possess.
I have read that Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia consider their diaspora in Europe as their own citizens. I say let them take back their troublemakers (which they generally do not, as evidenced by the Dutch problems in sending members of the notorious Moroccan Mafia back to their home country. Morocco does not want to take them back.) Unfortunately for France, we are talking about millions of people that should be sent packing.
At what point do the French people say, "Enough is enough"? Many are now talking about the real possibility that the country could fall into civil war. It should be noted here that gun laws in France are very restrictive. It appears that the obvious result is that aside from the police and the army, only the criminals have guns. So at this point, it is up to the police. And as we see, it is they who are on the front lines of this very real war. They are the ones taking the abuse, the assaults, the beatings, and putting their lives on the line to protect people and property. Even if we assume that the Tuesday shooting was unjustified, that should not mean that thousands of French cops should have to face this abuse and danger. Especially when they are not backed by the government.
French President Emmanuel Macron has made inopportune statements basically convicting the officer in question. Then on Wednesday night, as Paris was burning, he took his wife to see an Elton John concert! He is a disgrace. He is a younger version of Joe Biden.
The obvious lesson is you don't turn your country over to the uncivilized elements of society.
Gary, you write that the "young Algerian" was buried today, but actually the teenager was a French citizen of Maghrebian Algerian descent.
ReplyDeleteThe larger issue is, of course, crime and lawlessness in France's immigrant communities.
The film to watch is "A Prophet" (French: Un prophète), which is a 2009 French prison crime film directed by Jacques Audiard. It's a perfect representation of France's multicultural society.
France, Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands, and the Nordic countries are simply unable to handle the consequences of their absurd immigration policies, and I don't see any solutions on the horizon.
Was soll man machen?
You are correct about the background of Nahel M. In my previous posts, I referred to him as being of Algerian background or origin. One reason I simply called him Algerian this time was I went on to make the point that the North African nations consider their diaspora as their own, thus, let them take them back.
ReplyDeleteI will try and find the movie you mentioned.
What to do? Many say it's too late, and that may be right. But how about closing the borders, ending the lax asylum policies, cracking down on criminals-stiff prison sentences for serious crimes followed by deportation?
The longer Europe waits, they either get to the point of no return or the solution has to be more drastic.
Totally agree with your assessment of President Macron.
ReplyDeleteHe doesn't know what to do, so the rioters continue to trash a large number of French cities.
Paris is hosting the 2024 Summer Olympics, which is a little more than a year from now. Business leaders are no doubt deeply concerned about the violence, and Macron may be forced to crack down on the mayhem.
I was last in Paris on business in 2018 during the yellow vest demonstrations and protests. The smell of tear gas was in the air.
Then came the retirement age protests, which turned violent.
The country seems to be in constant state of unrest. Mon Dieu!
That's for sure. Sitting here in America, I can't speak with expertise, but it's obvious that all of Europe is in danger. And it was so avoidable. They should follow the lead of the Eastern European countries in regards to asylum and immigration.
ReplyDeleteThey could have had their diversity and succeeded if they had paid more attention to assimilation and bringing in all the wrong people. The overwhelming majority of these "refugees" are single young men from Muslim countries. What could possibly go wrong?