France: Riots after teenager dies while fleeing police

A French police officer was shot and wounded during clashes with youths that broke out after a teenager died while fleeing police, authorities said Tuesday.


The officer appeared to have been shot in the leg with a hunting rifle, said the police prefecture in Romans-sur-Isere, a southeastern town located 60 miles from Lyon in the Rhone Valley on the edge of the Alps. The officer's life was not in danger. Dents from bullets and buckshot were also found in police vehicles nearby.


Police used tear gas and rubber pellets to push back some 50 youths during clashes late Monday and early Tuesday. Several cars were burned and about 15 shop windows were smashed.


After nightfall Tuesday, some 300 riot police officers and gendarmes took up positions around the center of town to prevent a second night of clashes. Some teams of officers were brought in from neighboring regions.


The violence broke out after a 16-year-old died by driving a stolen car into a wall while fleeing police. Four other minors in the car were lightly injured.


Accidents involving police and youths have been particularly sensitive in France since riots in 2005 that were sparked by the deaths of two teens electrocuted in a power substation while hiding from police.


Jean-Pierre Nahon, a prosecutor in the regional capital, Valence, said a police watchdog agency will investigate latest incident.


Nahon said that, according to a preliminary investigation, the five teenagers had stolen the car overnight and were driving at high speed through the center of Romans-sur-Isere when police began chasing them. The young driver took a sharp turn and lost control of the car, running into a wall.



Le Monde reports (translation is general):

(..)

A little later the relatives came out furious from their closed-door meeting with the municipal team.  In tears, a young woman told the dozens of worked up youth: "He wants that it will calm down.  I say to you: burn everything."

This statement was met by cheers and the youth dispersed in small groups, promising the security forces a night of fire.  A handful of them started shouting: "Allah Akbar, Allah Akbar!"  "It will burn," said one of the leaders of the group, surrounded by a swarm of teenagers who listened respectfully.  "They're fed up with our small brothers dieing in our neighborhoods.  You dominated our parents.  We are the third generation and we won't submit."

His face haggard,a politician tries to resume the dialogue.  In vain.  "The only support that we can have are the mothers.  but even among them, there are those who are too angry," Maurice Crouzet, responsible for social issues, is upset. 

In his office, an hour later, the mayor struggles to recover from the failed discussion.  "Dialogue is very complicated.  Why have we arrived at this breakdown?  Why is all authority suspect?" he asks himself very worriedly.  Because in the neighborhood nobody believes that version given by the authorities about the circumstances of the accident.

"As long as there's no serious investigation, there will be war," maintains the same "big brother" in unison with his friends.

(..)

Sources: Yahoo (English), Le Monde (French)  h/t Observatoire de l' islamisation, Snaphanen

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

a 16-year-old died by driving a stolen car into a wall

Typical Muslim technical skills.

while fleeing police

This is how Muslims take responsibility for their own actions.

"burn everything"

It's their neighborhood. ANd people blame the free world for the fact that "Palestine" is a hellhole.

And who among us doesn't believe that the car was stolen and that the press is omitting this fact? And the odds that he had a license? Slim and none since the government doesn't hand them out for free. Had he not died he wouldn't have been charged with a count of attempted vehicular homicide for every individual on the road. That would be injustice. Why do they police not just let them destroy everything and protect the perimeter? I say let them reap what they sow for once in their lives and incur the cost of reconstruction. It's not a coincience that Habitat for Humanity is a Christian organization and not a Muslim one.