France is Burning
By MG SINGH
@madan02 (677)
July 10, 2023 8:16pm CST
I write all this with great sadness as the French nation is burning with rioting by certain people mainly the minorities. My feeling is that this discontent was simmering under the lid for many decades. It was kept under wraps and these came off once a young boy, who was a habitual traffic offender was shot dead by police officers when he disobeyed the traffic rules and tried to get away.
This is per se a small incident but pent-up emotions of the minorities came to the fore or shall I say found an outlet and soon the entire country is burning. The government even enforced a curfew in nearly 22 cities, so one can gauge the magnitude of the protests.
Perhaps this was inevitable as the minorities mainly the Muslims have failed to integrate with French culture. When I was in France last year, I had sensed the undercurrent of hostility, and this has now come out. Frankly, I don't know what is the solution, but definitely, this discontent will spread to other countries in Western Europe also, coupled with the economic recession, the leadership will have to do better.
The sad part is that the rioters also burnt a 16th-century church, which I am not able to understand.
10 people like this
10 responses
@DaddyEvil (174208)
• United States
11 Jul 23
Rioters don't care about history or hurting other people. If they can't have their way, they think the best thing to do is destroy as much as they can.
3 people like this
@Mike197602 (15504)
• United Kingdom
11 Jul 23
France was a colonial power same as the UK.
To understand SOME of the current issues you'd need to understand the past such as Algeria, Tunisia and Morocco.
I'm not suggesting you don't understand in any way...just saying that it's not necessarily a case of allowing them to move to France it's more of the fact that people from the "colonies" naturally migrated to the "mother" country.
This is just one example... "Under the terms of the Évian Accord settling Algerian independence in 1962, Algerians enjoyed relative freedom of movement between Algeria and France, and by 1965 there were over 500,000 Algerian nationals in France."
Integration is another issue.
2 people like this
@DWDavis (25797)
• United States
11 Jul 23
@Mike197602 You make a good point. The rioters are not recent immigrants by and large but second and third-generation post-colonization French citizens of North African descent. They've never been accepted as equals by a large swath of the French population, and, if I understand correctly, they have kept cliquishly to themselves and not tried to integrate into French culture because of this.
1 person likes this
@Mike197602 (15504)
• United Kingdom
11 Jul 23
@DWDavis You're correct in my opinion.
We have similar issues in the UK but I'd suggest not as deep as France.
The reason is, again in my opinion, France massively protects its language and culture which I respect and applaud.
I'd like our British culture to be protected more BUT our colonial heritage is now PART of our culture whereas I don't think it's so much in France.
The UK doesn't protect its culture as much so tensions are less...also our police are not armed and the UK armed police are way better trained than any country in the world including the US.
Over here our police are not likely to make international news for shooting someone, on the rare occasions they do shoot someone they're proven to be in the right.
1 person likes this
@AmbiePam (120533)
• United States
11 Jul 23
I believe you are right about this being more than about the young man, although that was a huge trigger. I know a missionary in France, and he too said this has been coming. Certain people have been getting away with things they should be held responsible for, and others think they should be excused because of their current plight. I know others might explain it a different way, but there has been trouble for awhile, any way one tries to explain it.
1 person likes this
@marguicha (230334)
• Chile
11 Jul 23
In my coutry there were huge riots a couple of years ago. I perfectly understood the reasons why many people were in an uproar. But I believe in peaceful demonstrations and these became riots very soon.
1 person likes this
@Mike197602 (15504)
• United Kingdom
11 Jul 23
I was writing a bigger response but decided against it.
Yes, there are issues in France with regards to integration...just the same as there are here in the UK.
It was never under wraps it just wasn't international news.
I've been to France so many times I've lost count and Paris is not a reflection of France it's just the same as London isn't a reflection of England...they're big multicultural cities where there are tensions.
Bottom line...you can't have your police shooting someone in the head just because they drove away from a traffic stop...that is just asking for trouble in any country...add in the minority factor that's just petrol on the fire.
Note to police...don't shoot someone in the head that isn't a threat to you.
2 people like this
@almostoveryou (4954)
• Philippines
11 Jul 23
It's a sorry situation. Apparently similar riots are already happening in other European countries. I just can't imagine burning a 16th-century church.
1 person likes this
@toniganzon (77064)
• Philippines
11 Jul 23
It's really sad what's happening over there. The looting, the rioting, the burning.
I have no idea what the solution could be too. Some people are just taking advantage of the situation.
1 person likes this
@RebeccasFarm (91299)
• United States
11 Jul 23
Yes they are in for a shock soon all those rioters when the powers that be come down on them.
@MarieCoyle (59106)
•
11 Jul 23
Sometimes, it seems when there is an undercurrent of anger brewing somewhere, it only takes one situation to ignite an all out riot or even worse. I think of George Floyd...it was just the spark that lit the fire. There were riots in my city, it was a time to hunker down and stay home. Riots and protests are frightening.
