PARIS, France-Following nearly two weeks of riots in France, Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin announced on November 7, that the French government would deploy more police and give mayors the right to enforce city wide curfews.
De Villepin called the government response “one of firmness,” and announced Monday that 8,000 police and 1,500 back ups will be deployed. Mayors will also be given the authority to enforce city-wide curfews as they see fit in an effort to quell the unrest.
Violence also broke out Monday in Belgium and Germany. It was unclear Monday evening how closely the violence was related, but across Europe officials are noting growing tension.
According to CNN, European officials looked to the poorly integrated immigrant population as a cause of unrest. European leaders are acknowledging the need to “look closely at immigration and integration policies.”
The riots in France began when two youths were electrocuted while hiding in an electric power station. The youths hid because they believed the police followed them.
This sparked rioting which, as of Monday, had spread to 274 towns and 1,200 arrests had been made. According to de Villepin young adults who feel they have suffered discrimination and deprivation are responsible for the violence.
Much of the youth involved are French born children of immigrants from former French colonies in Africa. De Villepin called the youth involved in the violence “delinquents.”
According to NBC correspondent Don Teague, the riots have “laid bare long-simmering problems related to the burgeoning immigrant population from many former French colonies in North Africa and sub-Saharan Africa.”
Many of the French born children of immigrants claim that other citizens do not treat them as equals. According to Latvian President Vaira Vike-Freiberga, who met with President Jacques Chirac on November 6, the President admitted that France has done a poor job integrating citizens of Arab and African decent.
According to NBC, immigrants claim they have been denied housing and are forced to live in suburban housing projects called “Le Cites”, where much of the violence has taken place. These projects are what we would consider U.S Welfare housing.
Chirac commented on the “ghettoization” of the neighborhoods where most of the immigrant population is forced to reside. Chirac also recognized the “incapacity of French society to fully accept them.”
Many of the rioters are assumed to be Muslims. France has a Muslim population of about 5 million, making up 8 percent of the population. According to Muslim residents, the violence is more about unemployment and discrimination than religion.
Muslims in France also issued a fatwa against the riots. A fatwa is a legal pronouncement in Islam issued by a religious law specialist. Fatwas are usually given when an issue arises on which Islamic jurisprudence is not clear.
According to the fatwa, “it is formally forbidden to any Muslim seeking divine grace and satisfaction to participate in any action that blindly hits private or public property or could constitute an attack on someone’s life.”