Two youngsters from Clichy sous Bois near Paris were accidentally electrocuted after entering an electricity substation. Their friends claimed they had been fleeing from the police. This led to an eruption of riots lasting three weeks, during which time the authorities lost control for several days.
What happened in the 2005 riots in France?
Ten years ago, at the end of October 2005, major riots erupted in France. Two youngsters from Clichy sous Bois near Paris were accidentally electrocuted after entering an electricity substation.
What are the causes of the Paris riots?
The BBC reported that French society's negative perceptions of Islam and social discrimination of immigrants had alienated some French Muslims and may have been a factor in the causes of the riots: "Islam is seen as the biggest challenge to the country's secular model in the past 100 years".
Are terrorists behind the French riots?
The head of counterterrorism for the French police told the Israeli daily Yedioth Ahronoth in late November 2005 that while terrorist groups were not behind the French riots, the French authorities believe they will profit from them. Their recruiting efforts in France are expected to become more successful.
What was the result of the Boston riot?
Gangs, mostly consisting of hundreds of youths, clashed with police, throwing rocks and Molotov cocktails at police forces and firefighters, setting cars on fire, and vandalizing buildings. A shot was reportedly fired at police. [1] Police fired tear gas at the rioters.
Why did the French riots happen?
Protesters told The Associated Press the unrest was an expression of frustration with high unemployment and police harassment and brutality. "People are joining together to say we've had enough", said one protester.
What was a major reason for urban riots in the United States in the 1960s?
Discrimination, joblessness, poverty, segregation, and housing problems prompted many urban riots in the 1960s. While some riots happened due to specific events, all of these incidents of civil unrest took place in areas with a large population of African Americans.
When was the last riot in France?
2017 French riotsDate4–15 February and 27–28 March 2017LocationFrance, primarily in Paris and Seine-Saint-DenisCaused byRape of black man by police (February) Fatal shooting of a Chinese man by police (March)MethodsProtesting, rioting, rock throwing, arson, mobbing6 more rows
What are banlieue neighborhoods in France?
In France, the term banlieue (UK: /bɒnˈljuː/; French: [bɑ̃ljø] ( listen)) refers to a suburb of a large city. Banlieues are divided into autonomous administrative entities and do not constitute part of the city proper. For instance, 80% of the inhabitants of the Paris Metropolitan Area live outside the city of Paris.
What was the biggest riot in US history?
The beating of Rodney King by Los Angeles police officers and their subsequent acquittal on charges of assault with a deadly weapon and excessive use of force triggered the Los Angeles Riots of 1992, which is still considered the worst race riots in American history.
What triggered the Watts riots?
The riot spurred from an incident on August 11, 1965 when Marquette Frye, a young African American motorist, was pulled over and arrested by Lee W. Minikus, a white California Highway Patrolman, for suspicion of driving while intoxicated.
What caused massive rioting in the suburbs of Paris in 2005?
On October 27, 2005, two French youths of Malian and Tunisian descent were electrocuted as they fled the police in the Parisian suburb of Clichy-sous-Bois. Their deaths sparked nearly three weeks of rioting in 274 towns throughout the Paris region, France, and beyond (see maps, pictures, and graphs here.)
What was the conflict in France?
French Revolutionary wars, title given to the hostilities between France and one or more European powers between 1792 and 1799.
What was the purpose of the uprising in Paris France?
The unrest began with a series of far-left student occupation protests against capitalism, consumerism, American imperialism and traditional institutions.
Does Paris have slums?
According to a census, there are more than 570 slums in France, including 113 in the greater Paris region of Ile-de-France.
Where should you avoid in Paris?
Especially when traveling alone, avoid areas around metro Les Halles, Pigalle, Gare du Nord, Stalingrad, and Jaures late at night or when the streets appear empty. While generally safe, these areas have at times been known to harbor gang activity or to be the site of hate crimes.
What is the poorest region in France?
Philippe Rio is the mayor of Grigny, a town south of the French capital, Paris. His town was ranked the poorest in France by a survey by the Observatoire des inégalités (Inequalities Observatory), which revealed in 2020 that half of Grigny's population lives below the poverty line.
What caused the riots of the 1960's?
The deeper causes of the riot were high levels of frustration, resentment, and anger that had been created among African Americans by unemployment and underemployment, persistent and extreme poverty, racism and racial segregation, police brutality, and lack of economic and educational opportunities.
Why were there riots in the 60s?
By the 1960s, decades of racial, economic, and political forces, which generated inner city poverty, resulted in race riots within minority areas in cities across the United States. The beating and rumored death of cab driver John Smith by police, sparked the 1967 Newark riots.
What are the urban riots of the 1960s?
Major race riots have occurred in the United States at least since the Harlem Riots of 1948, but the 60's surpassed anything previously experienced. The five day Watts riot in August, 1965 saw 34 people die and a thousand injured; and the 1966 Detroit riot, 43 deaths.
What caused the 1967 riots?
In mid-July, 1967, the city of Newark, New Jersey, erupted in violence as Black residents battled police following the beating of a Black taxi driver, leaving 26 people dead.
Where did the influence of the French riots go?
The influence of the French riots went far beyond the country’s borders, even if the copycat incidents in countries such as Belgium, [1] Germany, [2] and the Netherlands [3] were minor. Many profound problems that came to the fore during the French riots also exist, in somewhat different form, in several other West European countries.
What was the motivation behind the riots in France?
It is still taboo in some French elite circles to mention that a significant third motivation for some of the rioters was racist-ethnic, namely, anti-French and anti-white. Politically correct members of the European elite have long maintained, against all evidence, that there is only one type of racism-that of whites against the colored. During the recent turmoil, some of the rioters told the media explicitly that they were driven by anti-French and anti-white feelings. Indeed, if a decade ago many Muslim immigrants referred to themselves as “French Arabs” or “French Algerians,” more recently they have been calling themselves “Muslims” so as to distance themselves from the French state and society. [11]
How did Sarkozy insult the rioters?
On the other hand, several pseudo-humanitarians said Sarkozy had insulted the rioters by calling them “scum.” They called for him to apologize to the rioters , and some demanded that he resign.
What did Finkielkraut stress in this interview?
Finkielkraut went far in this interview by mainly stressing the racist dimension of the riots without giving much attention to their other aspects. He also was imprudent in thinking he could say certain things in an Israeli daily but not in France; he should have known that today’s media are globally read and quoted.
Why are riots described as senseless?
Many were teenagers. The riots are frequently described as senseless because they had no specific goal. Most disturbances were indeed spontaneous; the rioters acted alone or in small informal groups of friends.
How many members does the Mouvement pour la France have?
[31] The FN’s membership is estimated at over seventy-five thousand. [32] (The Socialists, the main opposition party, have 125,000 members, [33] the centrist UDF has an estimated fifteen thousand to thirty thousand, [34] and the UMP is the largest with two hundred thousand adherents.)
What was the motivation for the disturbances in Paris?
The conventional position is that the motivation for the disturbances was socioeconomic. The standard underlying narrative is that for a substantial number of people in the suburbs of Paris and other cities, life is without perspective. Many Muslim youngsters know that they belong to an underclass. They have little chance of finding good jobs. Even getting a job at all is often difficult in a country where unemployment hovers around 10 percent, and for young people aged 15-24, well over 20 percent. The unemployment of immigrant youth is substantially higher yet.
What was the main target of the 2005 riots?
The autumn 2005 riots made it clear that the many earlier attacks, mainly by Muslims against Jewish institutions, were merely a prelude to the main target: French society . In autumn 2005 Jewish institutions were rarely specifically attacked, exceptions being the synagogues at Pierefitte and Garges les Gonesse.
What did the French authorities do after the riots?
After the riots the French authorities announced they would take measures to improve the integration of minorities. Yet to date this issue remains hugely problematic.
How did the riots in Clichy sous Bois happen?
Two youngsters from Clichy sous Bois near Paris were accidentally electrocuted after entering an electricity substation. Their friends claimed they had been fleeing from the police. This led to an eruption of riots lasting three weeks, during which time the authorities lost control for several days.
What was the destructive element in the French riots?
The destructive element present in the French riots, so well identified by Finkielkraut, has since become much more visible in many sections of the Muslim world. The factors driving this destructive element are often more cultural than socio-economic in nature.
What is the French suburb?
The French term for suburb, “banlieue, ” has become pejorative, with many of these suburbs being characterized by poverty, crime, unemployment, high Muslim populations and social isolation from the rest of France.
Who was the head of the ethics commission of a hospital during the riots?
He was forced to apologize for some of his comments. Several months after the riots Léon Sann , head of the ethics commission of a hospital, wrote a detailed essay on the disproportionately large extent of criminality among minority youngsters from the “difficult” suburbs.
Did England have riots in 2011?
Although England also had its share of violent riots in 2011, these riots as well as other social unrest in Western Europe over the past decade never attained the magnitude of the 2005 autumn riots in France. Ten years after the riots, it is important to take stock of what happened then and since. The importance of this review goes ...
What happened in Clichy-sous-Bois in 2005?
Citing two police investigations, The New York Times reported that the incident began at 17:20 on Thursday, 27 October 2005 in Clichy-sous-Bois when police were called to a construction site to investigate a possible break-in. Three teenagers, chased by the police, climbed a wall to hide in a power substation. Six youths were detained by 17:50. During questioning at the police station in Livry-Gargan at 18:12, blackouts occurred at the station and in nearby areas. The police said that these were caused by the electrocution of two boys, Zyed Benna and Bouna Traoré; a third boy, Muhittin Altun, suffered electric shock injury from the power substation they were hiding in. The New York Times wrote:
What were the French rappers accused of?
French rappers and hip hop artists were accused of inciting the youth of the banlieues to riot. After the riots, 200 French parliament members called for legal action against several French rappers, accusing them of inciting the violence.
Who declared zero tolerance?
Nicolas Sarkozy, interior minister at the time, declared a " zero tolerance " policy towards urban violence after the fourth night of riots and announced that 17 companies of riot police ( C.R.S.) and seven mobile police squadrons ( escadrons de gendarmerie mobile) would be stationed in contentious Paris neighborhoods.
When was the Bouna Traore trial?
After ten years of preliminary proceedings, a trial was held in March 2015 against the police officers that were present during the death of Zyed Benna and Bouna Traore. The trial ended up without any condemn, triggering an important outcry.
Where did the car burn in France?
A car burns in Strasbourg, France on the night of November 5 as riots spread from the Paris banlieues to other parts of the country.
How many people took part in the Clichy-Sous-Bois march?
About 500 people took part in a silent march through Clichy-sous-Bois, in memory of the teenagers. [4] Representatives of the Muslim community appealed for calm and dignity at the procession. Marchers wore t-shirts printed with the message mort pour rien "dead for nothing". [5]
What happened to the gangs in the 1960s?
Gangs, mostly consisting of hundreds of youths, clashed with police, throwing rocks and Molotov cocktails at police forces and firefighters, setting cars on fire, and vandalizing buildings. A shot was reportedly fired at police. [1]
How many cars were set alight in Clichy-Sous-Bois?
Rioters in Clichy-sous-Bois apparently set more than 30 cars alight and made barricades of those cars, along with dustbins, which firefighters worked to clear away.
What happened in Savigny Le Temple?
In Savigny-Le-Temple, a primary school was attacked and its creche destroyed.
Why was the RER B commuter line halted?
Traffic was halted on the RER B suburban commuter line which links Paris to Charles de Gaulle Airport after unions called for a strike.
Why were police vans and cars stoned?
Police vans and cars were stoned as gangs turned on police.
What were the causes of the riots in France in 2005?
Those factors includethe particular French ethnic context, economic conditions, discrimination, police violence, housing, and (bad) national policies. It should also be clear that despite the claims of many foreign commentators, religion was conspicuously absent from the mix.
What is the real problem with the French rioting?
In other words, the real problem was not the French “republican” model, which has been hailed by many immigrants and which is more flexible than generally admitted, but insufficient mobilization of the French people to make it a reality. The rioting expresses, among other things, frustration caused by the gap between the model and the reality, and a desire to see the fulfillment of the promises inherent in the model. In any case, it is difficult to imagine how the adoption of the “multicultural” model, where minorities are treated as groups endowed with separate collective “identities” and special rights, would suddenly cure such social ills as everyday discriminations, unemployment and ghettoization, which lie at the heart of the current crisis. It is worth remembering that the evolution of the “multicultural” model in the Netherlands and in Great Britain has raised some serious issues, especially after recent terrorist attacks in London. “We have allowed tolerance of diversity to harden into the effective isolation of communities,” said Trevor Phillips, the black British chairman of Great Britain’s Committee for Racial Equality. “We have made too much room for the expression of minorities’ historical identity to the detriment of their loyalty to the United Kingdom today.” i
Why are the young men and teenagers from the Banlieues rioting and burning cars?
The young men and teenagers from the banlieues are rioting and burning cars largely because they have little hope of upward social mobility. Among the young men of the cités (largely immigrant housing projects in the suburbs) is as high as 40 percent.
What percentage of French people were from abroad in 1999?
In 1999 no less than 23 percent of the French population claimed foreign origin (with at least one parent or grand-parent coming from abroad). Within this group 5 percent had their roots in the sub-Saharan Africa, 22 percent in the Maghreb, and 2.4 percent in Turkey.
What did the bombing of the London subways in 2005 mean?
When bombs planted by young Britons of Pakistani and Jamaican descent exploded in the London subway on July 7, 2005, many said that this signified the failure of the British model of integration by multiculturalism. A month and a half later, when levees broke in New Orleans under the onslaught of hurricane Katrina and the poor, ...
What was the failure of the Dutch model of integration by tolerance?
When Theo Van Ghogh was murdered in Amsterdam on November 2, 2004 by Mohammed Bouyeri, an Islamist with Dutch and Moroccan citizenships, many said that this was the failure of the Dutch model of integration by tolerance. When bombs planted by young Britons of Pakistani and Jamaican descent exploded in the London subway on July 7, 2005, many said that this signified the failure of the British model of integration by multiculturalism. A month and a half later, when levees broke in New Orleans under the onslaught of hurricane Katrina and the poor, predominantly black population was trapped in the flooded city, many said that this revealed the failure of the integrating power of the “American dream.” And when riots erupted on the outskirts of major French cities (though not in Marseille, as will be seen later) in November 2005, many said that this unmasked the weakness of the French “one-law-for-all” republican model of integration.
Why is integration so difficult in France?
This means that the challenges of integration are much greater in France than in other European countries, especially because most immigrant workers, who arrived in the 1960s and 1970s, and their families, who joined them between the 1970s and the present, come from rural areas and had little no or education. That does not mean that their are not being integrated into the French mainstream, but their integration is certainly slower and more challenging (and success stories, which are more and more frequent, generally go unreported). For example, children of immigrants do as well at school as French children from the same socio-economic group. However, since immigrants constitute a disproportionately high percentage of the lower classes, in absolute terms their children do less well than children from French families.
Overview
Timeline
While tension had been building among the juvenile population in France, action was not taken until the reopening of schools in autumn, since most of the French population is on holiday during the summer months. However, on 27 October 2005, in Clichy-sous-Bois, late in the afternoon, about ten residents came back on foot from the stadium, where they spent the afternoon playing f…
Triggering event
Citing two police investigations, The New York Times reported that the incident began at 17:20 on Thursday, 27 October 2005 in Clichy-sous-Bois when police were called to a construction site to investigate a possible break-in. Three teenagers, chased by the police, climbed a wall to hide in a power substation. Six youths were detained by 17:50. During questioning at the police station in …
Context
Commenting on other demonstrations in Paris a few months later, the BBC summarised reasons behind the events included youth unemployment and lack of opportunities in France's poorest communities.
The head of the Direction centrale des renseignements généraux found no Islamic factor in the riots, while the New York Times reported on 5 November 2005 that "majority of the youths com…
Response
Nicolas Sarkozy, interior minister at the time, declared a "zero tolerance" policy towards urban violence after the fourth night of riots and announced that 17 companies of riot police (CRS) and seven mobile police squadrons (escadrons de gendarmerie mobile) would be stationed in contentious Paris neighborhoods.
The families of the two dead youths, after refusing to meet with Sarkozy, met with Prime Minister Dominique …
Judicial consequences
After ten years of preliminary proceedings, a trial was held in March 2015 against the police officers that were involved on the night when the deaths of Zyed Benna and Bouna Traore took place. The trial ended up without any convictions, which triggered an outcry from some members of the public.
See also
• Summary and map of the 2005 French riots
• 1992 Los Angeles riots
• West Las Vegas riots
• Watts riots
Notes
1. Planoise-reflexion (In French)
2. Besançon.fr (In French)
3. ^ Article from Le Monde
4. ^ "Scotsman" on renewal of state of emergency
Triggering Event
- Citing two police investigations, The New York Times reported that the incident began at 17:20 on Thursday, 27 October 2005 in Clichy-sous-Bois when police were called to a construction site to investigate a possible break-in. Three teenagers, chased by the police, climbed a wall to hide in a power substation. Six youths were detained by 17:50. During questioning at the police station in …
Timeline
- While tension had been building among the juvenile population in France, action was not taken until the reopening of schools in Autumn, since most of the French population is on holiday during the late summer months. However, on 27 October 2005, in Clichy-sous-Bois, late in the afternoon, about ten Clichois came back on foot from the stadium, where they spent the afternoon playing …
Context
- Commenting on other demonstrations in Paris a few months later, the BBC summarised reasons behind the events included youth unemployment and lack of opportunities in France's poorest communities.This is still a trend occurring in French suburbs today. The head of the Direction centrale des renseignements généraux found no Islamic factor in the riot...
Assessment of Rioting
- Figures and tables
Note: In the table and charts, events reported as occurring during a night and the following morning are listed as occurring on the day of the morning. The timeline article does the opposite.
Response
- Allegations of an organized plot and Nicolas Sarkozy's comments
Nicolas Sarkozy, interior minister at the time, declared a "zero tolerance" policy towards urban violence after the fourth night of riots and announced that 17 companies of riot police (C.R.S.) and seven mobile police squadrons (escadrons de gendarmerie mobile) would be stationed in conte… - State of emergency and measures concerning immigration policy
President Jacques Chirac announced a national state of emergency on 8 November. The same day, Lilian Thuram, a famous Football player and member of the Higher Council for Integration, blamed Sarkozy. He explained that discrimination and unemployment were at the root of the pro…
Judicial Consequences
- After ten years of preliminary proceedings, a trial was held in March 2015 against the police officers that were present during the death of Zyed Benna and Bouna Traore. The trial ended up without any condemn, triggering an important outcry.
References
- Notes
1. Planoise-reflexion(In French) 2. Besancon.fr(In French) 3. ^ Article from Le Monde 4. ^ "Scotsman" on renewal of state of emergency 5. ^ Indymedia on renewal of state of emergency, #torched cars 6. ^ "Each night between 40 and 60 cars are torched" according to the Council of S…
Scholarly Studies
- Haddad, Yvonne Yazbeck, and Michael J. Balz, "The October Riots in France: A Failed Immigration Policy or the Empire Strikes Back?" International Migration(2006) 44#2 pp 23-34.
- Jobard, Fabien. "Rioting as a political tool: the 2005 riots in France." The Howard Journal of Criminal Justice(2009) 48#3 pp: 235-244.
- Mucchielli, Laurent. "Autumn 2005: A review of the most important riot in the history of Frenc…
- Haddad, Yvonne Yazbeck, and Michael J. Balz, "The October Riots in France: A Failed Immigration Policy or the Empire Strikes Back?" International Migration(2006) 44#2 pp 23-34.
- Jobard, Fabien. "Rioting as a political tool: the 2005 riots in France." The Howard Journal of Criminal Justice(2009) 48#3 pp: 235-244.
- Mucchielli, Laurent. "Autumn 2005: A review of the most important riot in the history of French contemporary society." Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies(2009) 35#5 pp: 731-751.
- Murray, Graham. "France: the riots and the Republic." Race & Class(2006) 47#4 pp: 26-45.
Contemporary News Reports and Essays
- Durand, Jacky Libération (29 October 2005), "Pompier façon légion romaine"(Firefighters à la roman legion)
- New Straits Times, p. 28 (8 November 2005), "Fatwa against riot issued"
- New Straits Times, p. 28 (8 November 2005), "French violence rages on"
- Rousseau, Ingrid Associated Press (31 October 2005), "France to Step Up Security After Riots"
External Links
- Photographs
1. La Repubblica image gallery 2. Pictures from the BBC 3. Map of affected areasas of 7 November 4. Photos of Clichy-Sous-Bois, Montfermeil, and Aubervilliers - Analysis
1. Emmanuel Todd interview on the 'French riots' translation of an interview of Emmanuel Todd with Le Monde 2. Essays about the riots written by social scientists 3. A left wing analysis, in French of the crisis in the banlieues 4. Nous les zonards voyous, n+1 review 5. Rioting in France…