French unrest seems to wane

The burnout wreckage of two cars are seen in the Lyon suburb of Caluire in south-eastern France. Picture / Reuters

PARIS - France's worst rioting in nearly 40 years seemed to be waning today, police said, though youths torched vehicles in the southwestern city of Toulouse.

Cars set ablaze in France were down by a quarter on Saturday (Sunday morning NZT) on the previous night and fears that violence would grip central Paris proved unfounded after rallies were banned in the capital.

"Things could calm down very, very quickly," national police service chief Michel Gaudin told reporters in Paris.

But in Toulouse, scene of serious clashes with police last week, attackers torched seven vehicles and partly destroyed a school, driving a burning car against its gate, police said.

It was the 18th consecutive night of violence triggered by the accidental electrocution death in the Paris suburbs of two teenagers who apparently believed police were chasing them.

Youths have burnt thousands of cars across France in protest against what they say is harsh treatment by police, unemployment and poor conditions in the suburbs that surround many of the country's main towns and cities.

Unrest has weakened since the government adopted emergency measures including curfews last week.

Regional authorities imposed a ban on large gatherings in central Lyon, France's second city, after police used tear gas to break up the first disturbances in any city centre since rioting began on October 27.

The violence is the worst in France since the 1968 student riots, has shaken the government of President Jacques Chirac and caused ripples throughout Europe.

In a bid to help tackle problems in French suburbs, the European Union has offered France 50 million euros, EU Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso said.

The main problem behind the unrest was youth unemployment but the challenge of integrating immigrants was one that occurred in many European cities, Barroso said in an interview on France's Europe 1 radio.

Asked about the situation in the suburbs outside Paris one youth, who asked not to be named, said: "The situation cannot continue like this. So let's hope there will be some change".

A woman, who gave her name only as Eliane, welcomed the relative calm in the Paris area. "We didn't see anything except an increase in the number of police which is quite reassuring as far as we are concerned," she said.

The government is due to consider tomorrow whether to prepare a draft law extending the emergency measures, imposed for 12 days on October 8 to curb rioters who include white youths as well as youngsters of Arab and African origin.

The 4,000 CRS riot police deployed across the country are set to remain out in force. "We will win back these areas, without being rough but by making ourselves felt," CRS chief Christian Lambert told the newspaper Le Journal du Dimanche.

Interior Minister Nicolas Sarkozy reiterated a controversial pledge to throw out foreigners caught rioting, saying the expulsions could begin at the start of this week.

"If you want to live in France with a residency permit you have to abide by the laws," he said on Saturday night (Sunday morning NZT).

He has been criticised for using tough language during the crisis and was heckled by a crowd on Saturday.

The opposition Socialists accused him on Sunday of acting tough to increase his chances of becoming president in a 2007 election. But opinion polls show the emergency measures are widely supported by French citizens.

- REUTERS