FRANCE: Sombre France marks riots anniversary

Hundreds of people marched in silence through a rundown Parisian suburb on Friday (October 27) to mark the anniversary of two deaths which triggered the worst riots to hit the French capital in nearly 40 years. Around 500 mainly young people from immigrant families marched through the high-rise suburb of Clichy-sous-Bois, where the riots erupted after the electrocution deaths of Bouna Traore and Zyed Benna. Witnesses said the teenagers died while fleeing police. Marchers, many sporting T-shirts with the slogan "Dead for Nothing", passed the electrical substation where the two died and members of their families wept as they laid flowers at its gate. Relatives and friends held one minute of silence and prayers to commemorate the death of the two teenagers after unveiling a memorial plaque at the grounds of the school they attended. Organisers called for quiet reflection to mark the tragedy, although some television crews pulled out after their staff were threatened by local youths. Tensions remain high in France's rundown suburbs, where poor job prospects, racial discrimination, a widespread sense of alienation from mainstream society and perceived hostile policing touched off an orgy of violence 12 months ago. The government has sought to play down anniversary talk and highlighted the 420 million euro (531.6 million U.S. dollars) which it has earmarked since the riots to improve life in the suburbs. However, while national unemployment has fallen steadily since last year, locals see little progress. "There are a lot of problems of locations, transport and problems of finding jobs and we must find a solution for all of these," said Jihad Bouzidi, who was among the estimated 300 mainly young people from immigrant families walking from the town hall. And he added: "I think the angry reaction took place because of the sadness and the hardships here." Police unions have warned that 14 officers a day are hurt and that police face an urban guerrilla war in the tinderbox suburbs that ring most major French cities. Several officers have been hospitalised with injuries from beatings after being apparently lured into traps by gangs of youths in recent weeks. Some 3,000 people have been arrested in poor suburbs around France for acts of urban violence in the first nine months of this year, some 46 percent of them minors, Le Figaro newspaper reported, citing police statistics.

ITN Source | October 28, 2006

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