Highlights
– French police raid housing projects outside Paris
– Authorities detain upwards of 35 people in an effort to find rioters responsible for leading demonstrations in November 2007
– French President Nicolas Sarkozy stays strong
– Relationship between immigrant youth and police remains tense
On February 18, 2008, approximately 1,000 police officers raided housing projects on the outskirts of Paris in a pre-dawn sweep. The raids aimed at detaining and arresting individuals believed to have led and participated in mass riots in November 2007 . Police were mobilized in Villiers-le-Bel, and neighboring towns to include: Sarcelles, Gonesse, and Arnouville.
Purportedly, authorities arrested upwards of 33 individuals for participating, and in some cases leading, the November 25, 2007 riots. Among those arrests, police detained immigrant youth delinquents and drug traffickers.
Critics opinion the raids were a bid by French President Nicolas Sarkozy to publicize his stance on security prior to the March 2008 scheduled municipal elections. However, as we previously reported, despite Sarkozy’s tough stance on law and order and plans for immigration reform, we believe relations between police forces and France’s immigrant youth populations will remain tense in the near-term (Previous Report).
Police Raid Immigrant Neighborhoods; Arrest 33
In raids described as one of the largest police operations in the region, on February 18, 2007, French police officers raided a Parisian suburb, Villiers-le-Bel, in an attempt to detain and arrest individuals believed responsible for organizing and leading widespread rioting in November 2007.
Upwards of 1,000 police officers raided housing projects in Villiers-le-Bel and neighboring suburbs in pre-dawn raids. Officers hailing from elite French squads arrived in the area prior to 6 am dressed in riot gear and armed with guns and batons. Within a few hours police arrested approximately 33 individuals.
Described as local gang leaders, police believe those arrested organized and participated in two nights of extreme violence during which rioting youth attacked police with shotguns and damaged public property (Previous Report).
Sarkozy Faces Criticism
Following the February 2008 raids, French President Nicolas Sarkozy faces intensifying criticism due to his past and current attitude toward Parisian suburban immigrant youth. Sarkozy critics believe the raids are a bid by the President to publicize his tough stance on security in the lead up to the March 2008 municipal elections.
As we previously reported, since taking office in May 2007, French President Nicolas Sarkozy has taken the country and the globe by storm (Previous Report). However, despite recent successes on the international front, Sarkozy remains a notorious figure among French immigrant youth, particularly due to his unyielding stance on security and perceived anti-immigrant attitudes.
Looking Ahead
It is unclear what affect the February 2008 raids will have on the security situation in Paris’ suburban areas. Specifically, it is yet to be seen if marginalized youth will strike once again, echoing the events of November 2007 and the devastating riots of 2005 .
As we previously reported, Paris’s high-immigrant areas remain a so-called “tinderbox” following widespread rioting in 2005, and subsequent uprisings in 2007. Issues such as immigration and religion versus secularism remain a constant burden. To this end, despite Sarkozy’s tough stance on law and order, and progressive immigration policy reform, we believe relations between police forces and the country’s immigrant youth populations will remain tense in the near-term.
Additionally, it is likely violence will continue to erupt in Paris’s high-immigrant suburbs as a result of unresolved unemployment issues and subsequent rising anger toward French authorities.
