The French have spent their New Year in much the same manner they have spent the last few that preceded it -- by the glow of the fires of their vehicles. In a disturbing new tradition, residents of the Muslim banlieus have set fire to over 300 vehicles:

A car burns after a huge police operation involving 25,000 officers failed to quell one of the most entrenched new year rituals in France, with vandals — many of them children — setting on fire 313 vehicles throughout the country. The worst-hit region was Alsace, where 106 vehicles were set ablaze, including 28 in Strasbourg.

The attacks are seen as a product of tension on the suburban estates that are home to the bulk of France’s five-million-strong immigrant community. Most of the cars were burnt in areas with unemployment rates of up to 40 per cent. The national average is 8.7 per cent.

In the Seine-Saint-Denis département — one of the most troubled areas — officers detained three children aged between 10 and 12 carrying petrol cans. In Élancourt a car was driven into a children’s leisure centre and set on fire.

This is success; the massive police presence actually lowered the number of torched cars from 425 to 313, a 25% reduction. It's remarkable, however, that with that level of police involvement, that 313 cars still got lit up -- and that this arson problem continues for at least two years after its eruption.

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France is burning ….. again. The New Year was rung in by what is referred to as French ‘youth’ by the rampage burning of approximately 400 vehicles. A total of 313 vehicles were set on fire, primarily by young people overnight around ... [Read More]

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