Paris in Flames; End in Sight?

The first night in France following the declaration of a "state of emergency" by the French government saw sharply decreased violence across the country.

During late Tuesday through early Wednesday, youths torched 617 vehicles, down from 1,173 a night earlier, national police spokesman Patrick Hamon said. Incidents were reported in 116 towns, down from 226.

Police made 280 arrests, raising the total to 1,830 since the violence erupted 13 nights ago.

National Police Chief Michel Gaudin said an additional 1,000 officers were deployed overnight, bringing the total to 11,500. He attributed the drop in attacks to police sweeps and cooperation from community groups.

Good for the French--I'll be happy to be proven wrong. But not all the news is positive. Indeed, some seem to believe that the "disaffected youths" at the heart of the unrest are growing more organized:

Officials were forced to shut down the southern city of Lyon's subway system after a firebomb exploded in a station late Tuesday, a regional government spokesman said. No one was hurt. Transport officials said bus and subway service will be halted at 7 p.m. each day at least until Sunday as a precaution....

Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin, detailing the measures to parliament Tuesday, said riot police faced "determined individuals, structured gangs, organized criminality." Police say rioters have been using mobile phone text messages and the Internet to organize arson attacks.

My hopes are with the French authorities at this point--an organized criminal "insurgency" causing chaos and destruction in what is otherwise a civilized, peaceful (and, in my opinion anyway, somewhat flaky and conceited) country is a disturbing prospect indeed.

Tags: Paris, France, French, Riot, Unrest