France to extend anti-riot powers

French President Jacques Chirac delivers a speech, some 18 days after the beginning of urban unrest. Picture / Reuters

PARIS - French President Jacques Chirac's government decided to ask parliament to extend emergency powers for 3 months to quell unrest which he said pointed to a national malaise and identity crisis.

"We will respond by being firm, by being fair and by being faithful to the values of France," Chirac said in his first televised address to the nation on unrest by youths in poor suburbs over racism, a lack of jobs and a sense of exclusion.

Chirac, who has been under fire for saying little during the crisis, announced the creation of a voluntary task force to help young people find work but ruled out "positive discrimination" that would favour ethnic minorities for jobs.

"These events bear witness to a deep malaise," he said, sitting behind a desk with the French tricolor flag and European Union flag behind him. "It is ... an identity crisis."

Although the violence was waning after reaching a peak a week ago, police said youths destroyed 284 vehicles in petrol bomb attacks on Sunday night (Monday morning NZT).

"I think it's over. I think the young people have let out their anger, and I think the government got the message," said Bernard Moutei, 40, walking among the high-rise estates in the Clichy-sous-Bois suburb of Paris where the unrest began.

Disturbances began with the deaths on October 27 of two youths apparently fleeing police, but grew into wider protests by youths of African and Arab origin as well as white youngsters.

The government approved emergency powers including curfews last week that went into force on November 9 for 12 days, although few towns or cities have used them.

Today the government agreed on a draft law to extend the measures until February. The law goes before the lower house of parliament tomorrow and its passage seems certain because the ruling centre-right party dominates the two chambers.

Chirac, 72, called for calm, urged people to rally together and said the main priority was restoring public order. He acknowledged the need for France to tackle discrimination, seen as a root cause of the unrest, but said violence never won.

"I want to say to the children of poor areas, whatever their origins, that they are the daughters and sons of the (French) republic," he said.

He called for responsibility from the media following widespread accusations that television footage of burning cars has helped fuel violence. He made a similar appeal to politicians, many of whom have been bickering over the unrest.

Chirac, who abolished compulsory military service in 1996, said the first batch of 50,000 young people would receive training in 2007 under the proposed task force.

This was one of few concrete measures he announced in addition to plans outlined by Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin last week to try to give youngsters from difficult neighbourhoods more opportunities.

Centre-right politicians backed Chirac, saying he showed firmness and determination. The opposition Socialists, who are expected to oppose the extension of emergency powers, said the president had proposed nothing new.

"We expected a different speech by the head of state, who merely repeated the measures announced by his prime minister last week," Socialist spokeswoman Annick Lepetit said.

Violence has declined sharply since last Sunday's peak of 1,400 vehicles torched across France. Police said 10 youths were arrested in the southwestern city of Toulouse after youths burnt 10 vehicles on Sunday and damaged a school.

The disturbances have sparked a debate on the integration of immigrants and triggered copycat violence in some EU neighbours.

Many people in affected areas do not expect government plans to help poor neighbourhoods to bear much fruit.

"The government is not serious. They are not doing enough for us ... We don't have a proper cinema, nothing. Nothing is going to change," said a 16-year-old in Clichy-sous-Bois who gave his name only as Ali.

- REUTERS