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French leader plans crisis talks | |
(about 5 hours later) | |
French President Nicolas Sarkozy is to hold emergency talks with ministers to discuss a wave of urban violence. | |
More than 120 police had been injured in two nights of unrest, after two teenagers died on Sunday when their motorbike collided with a police car. | |
Tuesday night passed more calmly, with isolated clashes in Paris and Toulouse, as police reinforcements were deployed. | |
"The government will do all it can to ensure that order returns as soon as possible," said PM Francois Fillon. | |
The prime minister will be attending Wednesday's meeting with the president, as will Interior Minister Michele Alliot-Marie and other senior members of the government. | |
Mr Sarkozy was on a state visit to China when the violence broke out. As well as chairing the ministerial meeting, he will meet the families of the dead teenagers. | |
"The situation is much calmer than the two previous nights but we can all feel that it remains fragile," said Mr Fillon, after Tuesday night saw only minor incidents in Villiers-le-Bal, the northern Parisian suburb which had seen two nights of serious rioting. | |
But for the first time the violence spread to other cities, with at least 10 cars burnt and a fire at a library in Toulouse. | |
POST-2005 PLEDGES Introduction of measures for training 50,000 youths in 2007Vow to crack down on illegal immigrationFunding outlined for community projects in "sensitive areas"EU offers 50m euros for projects to improve the suburbsCall for action to help non-whites get fair treatment Paris riots replayed Have your say | POST-2005 PLEDGES Introduction of measures for training 50,000 youths in 2007Vow to crack down on illegal immigrationFunding outlined for community projects in "sensitive areas"EU offers 50m euros for projects to improve the suburbsCall for action to help non-whites get fair treatment Paris riots replayed Have your say |
The violence is more intense than during weeks of clashes in the French suburbs in 2005, due to the more frequent use of firearms by rioters, police unions have said. | The violence is more intense than during weeks of clashes in the French suburbs in 2005, due to the more frequent use of firearms by rioters, police unions have said. |
Relatives of the two dead teenagers, who were both from ethnic minorities, have insisted that police rammed their motorcycle before leaving them to die. | Relatives of the two dead teenagers, who were both from ethnic minorities, have insisted that police rammed their motorcycle before leaving them to die. |
But the initial findings of an internal police probe, which found that police were not to blame, sparked anger in Villiers-le-Bel. | But the initial findings of an internal police probe, which found that police were not to blame, sparked anger in Villiers-le-Bel. |
'Criminals' | 'Criminals' |
Police say the motorcycle was going at top speed and was not registered for street use, while the two boys - who have been named only as Moushin, 15, and Larami, 16 - were not wearing helmets and had been ignoring traffic rules. | Police say the motorcycle was going at top speed and was not registered for street use, while the two boys - who have been named only as Moushin, 15, and Larami, 16 - were not wearing helmets and had been ignoring traffic rules. |
Mr Fillon, who visited the scene on Tuesday, called the rioters "criminals" and said nothing could justify the attacks. | |
"Those who shoot at policemen, those who beat a police officer almost to death are criminals and must be treated as such," he was quoted by AFP news agency as telling parliament. | "Those who shoot at policemen, those who beat a police officer almost to death are criminals and must be treated as such," he was quoted by AFP news agency as telling parliament. |
A library and a nursery school went up in flames in Villiers-le-Bel. | A library and a nursery school went up in flames in Villiers-le-Bel. |
Rioting had spread on Monday from Villiers-le-Bel to other areas in the north Paris suburbs. | Rioting had spread on Monday from Villiers-le-Bel to other areas in the north Paris suburbs. |
Ms Alliot-Marie has said the riots were organised and criminals were using youngsters to lure away police while they pillaged shops. | |
The 2005 unrest, also sparked by the deaths of two youths, spread from a nearby suburb of Paris to other cities and continued for three weeks, during which more than 10,000 cars were set ablaze and 300 buildings firebombed. | The 2005 unrest, also sparked by the deaths of two youths, spread from a nearby suburb of Paris to other cities and continued for three weeks, during which more than 10,000 cars were set ablaze and 300 buildings firebombed. |
Mr Sarkozy was heavily criticised at the time after he called for crime-ridden neighbourhoods to be "cleaned with a power hose" and described violent elements as "gangrene" and "rabble". | Mr Sarkozy was heavily criticised at the time after he called for crime-ridden neighbourhoods to be "cleaned with a power hose" and described violent elements as "gangrene" and "rabble". |
The BBC's Alasdair Sandford says that although plenty of money has been poured into areas like Villiers le Bel that seems irrelevant when tension and resentment between young people and the police is so strong. | The BBC's Alasdair Sandford says that although plenty of money has been poured into areas like Villiers le Bel that seems irrelevant when tension and resentment between young people and the police is so strong. |