Riviera cities impose curfews to counter riots

AUTHORITIES imposed curfews in the French Riviera cities of Nice and Cannes yesterday to prevent rioting, while the interior minister called for the deportation of foreigners convicted of participating in the unrest.

Looters and vandals defied a state of emergency with attacks on superstores, a newspaper warehouse and a subway station. Arson attacks continued after sunset, with a nursery school going up in flames in Toulouse.

The unrest began on October 27 and has become a nationwide insurrection by suburban youths who complain of discrimination and unemployment. Although many of the youths are Muslim, police say the violence is not driven by Islamic groups.

The 12-day state of emergency, which began at midnight on Tuesday, covered Paris, its suburbs and more than 30 other cities from the Mediterranean to the German border and to Rouen in the north.

The measures imposed in Nice also require some bars to close from 10pm to 5am for the next 10 days.

Interior Minister Nicolas Sarkozy, who had inflamed passions by calling troublemakers “scum”, said 120 foreigners have been convicted for roles in the violence, and called on local authorities to expel them.

Far-right leader Jean-Marie le Pen said his National Front party has been “submerged” with prospective members since the rioting erupted.

The state of emergency allows officials to put troublemakers under house arrest, ban or limit the movement of people and vehicles, confiscate weapons and close public spaces. It paved the way for curfews to be imposed by local officials.

During late Tuesday and early yesterday, youths torched 617 vehicles. Police made 280 arrests, raising the total to 1,830.

The rioting has spread to Belgium, albeit on a smaller scale. Around 15 fires in all were reported in several cities scattered around the nation last night, but all were isolated incidents of local youths and no major confrontations with police were reported.