SELECTED NEWS STORIES ON THE UPROAR OVER THE CARTOONS OF THE PROPHET MOHAMMED

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"Qaeda escapee" urges Europe strikes over cartoons
2006/05/12 · Yahoo! News
A man believed to be a top al Qaeda militant who escaped from a U.S. airbase in Afghanistan urged Muslims in an Internet video to launch attacks in Europe as revenge for cartoons that lampooned the Prophet Mohammad. He called for "rivers of blood" down the streets of Denmark, Norway and France.

Bulgaria tries to contain new cartoon uproar
2006/05/12 · International Herald Tribune
Bulgarian officials have expressed 'deep concern' after national newspaper Novinar published 12 cartoons that satirised Libyan leader Qaddafi and his country's justice system, at a time when five Bulgarian nurses are facing a new trial in Tripoli. One shows a woman in an Islamic veil with a condom over her head.

Man to appear in court over cartoon protest
2006/03/27 · Reuters
A 23-year-old man will appear in a UK court, charged with soliciting murder and inciting racial hatred at a February demonstration in London over the publication of cartoons of the Prophet Mohammad. Mizanur Rahman is the fourth person to be charged after the demonstration, where some held up banners praising the July 7 London bombings.

Sweden FM quits over cartoon row
2006/03/21 · BBC News
Swedish Foreign Minister Laila Freivalds has resigned in a row related to cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad. She was strongly criticised in the press after it emerged that foreign ministry pressure had led to the closure of a far-right party's website. The site had been due to publish the cartoons, but it was closed on after a foreign ministry official contacted the site's hosting company. Critics said this was an intrusion on freedom of speech.

Church recalls 'Prophet' magazine
2006/03/21 · BBC News
The Church in Wales has recalled 500 copies of its magazine featuring a cartoon caricaturing the Prophet Muhammad. The editor has resigned after the image was published in the Church's Welsh-language magazine Y Llan. The Bishops of the Church in Wales have already made it clear that "they regret the publication of the cartoons depicting the Prophet Muhammad in various European publications, and the offence that these have caused the Muslim community".

Turkey suggests EU should strengthen anti-defamation laws
2006/03/11 · EUobserver
The Turkish foreign minister called upon EU states to extend their anti-defamation laws to ensure respect for Islam. Mr. Gul stated that "We cannot afford .. that people around the world start believing that respect for faith and religion do not make part of European values." He appeared to point to the double standards of countries which have legislation against antisemitism, but not against islamophobia. The Dutch foreign minister retorted, "We have freedom of speech. That means that Mr Gul can say what he wants and I can say what I want. And I think that this [idea] is superfluous."

Russians Decry Caricatures of Religious Figures
2006/03/03 · Angus Reid Global Scan
85% of adults in Russia believe caricatures of gods, saints and prophets are inappropriate. Russian president Putin condemned the publication of 12 cartoons depicting Muslim prophet Mohammed. But according to another survey, 39% of Russians were unaware of the situation, and another 39% say the cartoons did not cause any special feelings. Last month, Azerbaijani newspaper Yeni Habar published cartoons of Jesus Christ and the Virgin Mary. Several Russian politicians voiced their indignation.

Finnish culture magazine sacks editor over Muhammad cartoon
2006/03/01 · Helsingin Sanomat
The Oulu-based magazine Kaltio fired its editor after he refused to remove a cartoon on its website featuring Prophet Muhammad wearing a mask and discussing freedom of speech with a cartoonist. After the posting of the cartoon, many permanent advertisers, including two insurance companies and financial group Sampo, announced that they would withdraw their advertisements. The City of Oulu responded by cancelling an illustration it had already ordered from the cartoonist for a book for schoolchildren.

BNP to print Muslim cartoon leaflets
2006/02/22 · Reuters
The far-right British National Party (BNP) is to distribute a campaign leaflet featuring the Danish cartoons of the Prophet Mohammad. The 12 cartoons have not been published in the British press. The BNP leaflet says, "By showing you just how mild and inoffensive the cartoon is, we're giving you the chance to see for yourself the huge gulf that exists between the democratic values that we share, and the mediaeval views that dominate Islam." Ian McCartney, chairman of the ruling Labour party, condemned the leaflets as "straight out of the Nazi textbook".

Muhammad cartoons: A reappraisal
2006/02/21 · Le Figaro
The anger aroused by the cartoons was manipulated from the beginning, by those bent on encouraging a clash of civilisations. Now it serves to stoke internal conflicts in Nigeria and Pakistan. Extremists will of course harbour a flame they can use to light any number of fires. But who has attempted to douse their ardour? The US, where religious sentiment is more deeply anchored and the cartoons were not republished, is not concerned. But we should at least try to suggest we know where we are going on Iraq, Iran, Palestine, and accusations of torture.

EU calls on Turkey to mediate in cartoon conflict
2006/02/21 · EU Observer(via Muslim News)
The EU is seeking to get candidate country Turkey actively involved as mediator in the Mohammed cartoon conflict, which has sharpened tensions between Europe and the muslim world. The current Austrian EU presidency has invited Turkish foreign minister Gul to present ideas on how to soothe relations at an informal so-called "Gymnich" meeting in Salzburg next month.

Swiss Criticize Danish Paper for Cartoons
2006/02/21 · Angus Reid Global Scan
Many Swiss believe a Danish newspaper was wrong to publish drawings depicting Muslim prophet Mohammed, according to a new poll. 60% of respondents believe the Jyllands-Posten was wrong; 30% think it was right. Meanwhile, three organizations - including Switzerland’s UN Watch - urged the UN to reject an attempt of at least 56 nations to include a special reference on "actions against religions, prophets and beliefs" into the charter of the new UN human rights council.

Ex-minister probed over T-shirt
2006/02/20 · ANSA
Roberto Calderoli, who quit as minister on the urging of PM Berlusconi, is under investigation for contempt of religion. The offence used to carry a penalty of up to two years in jail, but now at most a 1,000-5,000 € fine. Calderoli wore a T-shirt showing the controversial cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed on TV last week, triggering violent protests in Libya. Calderoli said his Northern League should still stick with Berlusconi's coalition, as long as it prioritised the "defence of Europe's Christian roots, and a battle against any form of fundamentalism."

Italian minister resigns over cartoon riots in Libya
2006/02/20 · EU Observer
The Italian minister who wore a T-shirt with one of the Danish carricatures of Mohammed on TV, resigned after riots outside the Italian consulate in Libya, in which some ten people were killed. PM Berlusconi had urged him to resign. But Calderoli, who served as minister of reform for the Lega Nord, again called on fellow Italians to order the T-shirt from his office. His T-shirt also caused ripples in Brussels, where the Independence/Democracy faction in the European Parliament, which Lega Nord representatives belong to, will vote on excluding the party.

Muslim cartoon row timeline
2006/02/19 · BBC News
The BBC News website outlines key events in the escalating row over the publication of cartoons satirising the Prophet Muhammad.

Alliance may calm cartoon unrest
2006/02/18 · United Press International
A joint Spanish-Turkish initiative backed by the UN, the Alliance for Civilization, is mentioned as a possible forum for restoring calm between Europe and the Islamic world following the Mohammed cartoon debacle. The idea was taken up at an EU meeting in which the Austrian Foreign Minister brought together senior Danish officials and leading Muslim representatives to discuss ways of reducing the current tension. Just what the Alliance's role would be is not clear, but observers said it could turn out to be the right initiative at the right time. Its "high level group" is due to meet in Doha later this month.

Britain looks away from the cartoons
2006/02/16 · Terraviva
As violence over the Mohammed cartoons continues, Britain has looked away from them. Not even the tabloids reproduced the cartoons. ''There was .. no agreement .. not to publish the cartoons,'' Ian Jack said, "Editors simply decided on their own not to publish them.'' The British take a pragmatic approach to such matters rather than an ideological one, he said. ''The view here was that publishing the cartoons would mean just striking a posture, that would do no good and probably do quite a lot of harm.''

Britons Defend Freedom of Speech in Cartoon Case
2006/02/16 · Angus Reid Global Scan
Many adults in Britain see no problem with the cartoons depicting Muslim prophet Mohammed, according to a poll by YouGov. 56% believe it was right to publish the drawings in the interests of freedom of speech, while 29% believe they should never have been published.

Americans Chide European Papers Over Cartoons
2006/02/16 · Angus Reid Global Scan
Many adults in the U.S. believe some media outlets made a mistake in publishing cartoons depicting Muslim prophet Mohammed, according to a Gallup poll. 61% of respondents believe certain European newspapers acted irresponsibly. But 57% did also say that the U.S. news media have an obligation to show controversial items that are newsworthy even if they may offend the religious views of some people.

Lebanese PM: Pope Backs Protests
2006/02/16 · CBS News
Pope Benedict XVI expressed support for peaceful demonstrations in the Muslim world over the Prophet Muhammad caricatures published in Europe, the Lebanese prime minister said after a private meeting at the Vatican. The Vatican has previously said the cartoons represented an "unacceptable provocation," and the right to freedom of expression "cannot entail the right to offend the religious sentiment of believers."

Solana warns against EU-muslim cartoon rift
2006/02/15 · EU Observer
EU foreign policy chief Solana visited the Middle East to soothe tension over the Danish cartoons depicting the prophet Mohammed. He met the leader of the Organisation of the Islamic Conference, which is pushing for the UN to adopt a reference against blasphemy in the tenets of a new human rights body. Solana signalled the EU might be supportive of this idea, saying "we are working on some ideas." Solana’s spokeswoman said: "They want mechanisms to guarantee this is not repeated and we should be able to find it in UN conventions on human rights."

MEPs express solidarity with Denmark in cartoon row
2006/02/15 · EUobserver
European lawmakers spoke out on the Danish-Muslim cartoon conflict, condemning the violent protests and supporting Denmark. MEP Poettering said the protests in the Muslim world had not been spontaneous: "They were organised by repressive regimes months after the publication." The MEPs proposed to establish an EU-Muslim commission to examine school textbooks in Europe and the Islamic world to see how they describe the other side, but came out against a Commission proposal to make media sign up to a voluntary "code of conduct" for reporting on religions.

Russia: Cartoons Leave Refugees Helpless
2006/02/15 · IPS
Chechnya authorities ordered a ban on "anything coming out of Denmark", following the republication of caricatures of Prophet Mohammad. Acting PM Kadyrov suspended the work of Danish humanitarian organisations. "These representatives could have been taken hostage to demand an apology from Denmark", he said, "I heard such rumours and my decision saved the Danes." Kadyrov now wants them to leave, also accusing them of doing "intelligence work": "These organisations never cooperated with the authorities and have been collecting all kinds of information."

Was it a Western conspiracy?
2006/02/15 · International Herald Tribune
"Of course this isn't about freedom of speech." I've heard that countless times in Karachi, about the Danish cartoon controversy. There is nothing but condemnation for the cartoons. But one objection concentrates not on the offense itself, but on the purported motive. A member of my family said: "It's just racism. You act in ways that you know will provoke the extremists to start ranting and then you get bearded men frothing at the mouth, and - because those are the only images that get significant news coverage - you can then .. say, 'You see, all Muslims are fanatics.'"

Cartoon crisis pressures and irks French Muslims
2006/02/10, Reuters
The violent 'cartoon' protests in the Middle East are pressuring France's Muslims. Leaders fear that instead of being accepted as France's second religion, Islam is now linked with outraged Arabs sacking embassies. "I'm surprised by the over-reaction of my fellow Muslims," said Sohaib Bencheikh. Many French Muslims are born here; Friday mosque attendance has fallen to 10-15 percent. Rachid Benzine: "We're witnessing the theologisation of international relations. Some say we're heading toward a clash of civilizations, but it's more like a clash of ignorances."

European citizens turn against media in cartoon row
2006/02/10 · EUobserver
In a French poll, 55% said that publishing the controversial caricatures of the prophet Mohammed did not further the debate on free speech, while it was supported by 38%. In Norway, the second country to publish the cartoons, 57% of a poll's respondents, especially women, believed publishing was wrong, while 30% disagreed. Meanwhile, the Danish paper that first published the cartoons sent its editor Flemming Rose on vacation after he'd told CNN that his paper was considering joining an Iranian newspaper’s move to publish "funny caricatures" about the Holocaust.

Signis on Muhammad cartoons
2006/02/10 · WACC News Blog
The President of SIGNIS (The World Catholic Association for Communication) today condemned the publication of the cartoons depicting the Prophet Muhammad which were published recently in the Danish newspaper, Jyllands Posten. In a statement on behalf of SIGNIS he added, however, that the 'provocation of the cartoons does not justify the violence and fanaticism of some of those who have protested against them'.

Far-Right Swedish Party Publishes Mohammed Cartoons
2006/02/09 · Radio Sweden
Sweden’s far right Sweden Democrats (SD) have decided to publish cartoons depicting the prophet Mohammed in their online newspaper. Swedish Radio reported that the SD are sponsoring a contest encouraging readers to send in their own cartoons of Mohammed. Foreign Minister Freivalds condemned the contest, saying that it was insensitive, provocative and irresponsible.

French weekly reprints cartoons
2006/02/08 · The Independent
A satirical French weekly reprinted caricatures of the Prophet Mohamed that sparked violent protests worldwide, a day after a court ruling cleared the way. Under the headline "Muhammad overwhelmed by the fundamentalists," the cover featured a new caricature depicting the prophet with his head in his hands, remarking, "It's hard to be loved by idiots." On Tuesday, a French court threw out a lawsuit by five Muslim organizations aimed at blocking the publication on technical grounds.

AP Protests Use of Photo in Controversy
2006/02/08 · Forbes
The Associated Press protested Wednesday the misleading inclusion of an AP photograph in a pamphlet that a delegation of Danish Muslim leaders carried on a Mideast tour in December-January. The picture shows a bearded man wearing fake pig ears, a pig nose, and a pink embroidered cap on his head. He was wearing the costume while participating in a pig-squealing contest in a French farm village last summer. The photo had no connection with Islam or the caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad.

European Journalists Begin to Condemn Cartoons
2006/02/08, IPS
European journalists and caricaturists are increasingly condemning the cartoons of Prophet Mohammed. French caricaturist Jul said: "I think that the cartoons [..] have caused this hysteria in the Muslim world because there is a deep anti-Arab and anti-Muslim racism in Europe." Swedish writer Jan Guillou called the cartoons "vulgar and cowardly, because they were intended to offend the already distressed Muslim immigrant minority." Some pointed out that European freedom of the press is not absolute, and that tribunals often rule against journalists and artists.

Danish paper rejected Jesus cartoons
2006/02/06 · The Guardian
The Danish newspaper that first published the cartoons of the prophet Muhammad that caused a storm of protest, refused to run drawings lampooning Jesus Christ in 2003. The illustrator who submitted them was told by email, "I don't think [our] readers will enjoy the drawings. As a matter of fact, I think that they will provoke an outcry. Therefore, I will not use them." The decision smacks of "double-standards", said a Muslim spokesman. Meanwhile, in Malaysia, an editor resigned after printing one of the cartoons to illustrate an article about the lack of impact of the controversy in Malaysia.

Press urges end to cartoon riots
2006/02/06 · BBC News
Lebanese papers condemn the sacking of the Danish embassy. Lebanon's Daily Star: "The damage that the rioters did - both to Lebanese property and to the image of Islam - was far worse than that done by the cartoons." Nabil Abu-Munsif opines: "The attack was simply an advanced attempt to blow up Lebanon and set it on fire." In Algeria, La Tribune writes: "It is no coincidence that it is only in Damascus and Beirut that embassies were set ablaze ... It is time to stop exploiting the anger of the masses to achieve political goals such as saving a party or regime. [That is] another form of blasphemy."

Dutch MP receives Danish-cartoon death threats
2006/02/06 · Radio Netherlands
Dutch MP Geert Wilders has received forty death threats after publishing the Danish cartoons depicting the prophet Muhammad on his website. Meanwhile, the Dutch-based Centre for Information and Documentation on Israel filed a complaint against the Arab-European League after the AEL website published its own cartoons, one of them depicting Anne Frank in bed with Adolf Hitler.

Embassies ablaze as Muslim anger spreads
2006/02/05 · The Observer
The bitter row over cartoons of the Prophet Mohammad reached a new intensity last night as embassies were set on fire in Syria. Meanwhile, UK police plans to investigate London protesters who called for those insulting Islam to 'be beheaded'. 700 Muslims held a second day of protests outside the Danish embassy, many holding placards glorifying the events of 7 July and 9/11. Muslim groups however appealed for calm. The Muslim Council of Britain called for the protesters to be prosecuted. "Ordinary Muslims are fed up with them."

Muhammad cartoons: Call for calm
2006/02/05 · The Scotsman
The UK Government called for calm in the row over cartoons depicting Mohammed, after a third embassy was torched in the Middle East. Denmark's consulate in Beirut was targeted by a mob which ran riot in a Christian neighbourhood of the city. Meanwhile, calls are made for the prosecution of demonstrators in the UK whose placards called for those responsible for the cartoons to be killed. David Davis said that slogans such as "Massacre those who insult Islam" amounted to incitement to murder.

Furore over Prophet images grows, embassies torched
2006/02/04 · Reuters
Syrians set fire to the Danish and Norwegian embassies during protests over cartoons of the Prophet Mohammad. Iran said it will "review trade ties" with countries that published the cartoons. They have now appeared in scores of countries, including Bulgaria, New Zealand and Poland. European leaders called for calm, but Justice Commissioner Frattini said it was not for the EU to apologise: "We don't have the power to apologise in the name of the press." In Denmark, a network of moderate Muslims condemned the embassy attack: "the situation is out of control," said spokesman Naser Khader.

Tranquil nation at the centre of a clash of cultures
2006/02/04 · The Independent
The office of Jyllands-Posten is now a target of bomb threats. But its culture editor stands by the cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed. A cartoon, he says, "in our culture .. does not mean that you are humiliating religion. This is just the way we do things." He blames the reaction on a campaign by radicals who "lied" and say that "Muslims are suppressed .. in Denmark." But to Ahmad Abu Laban, there is no compromise: "We are not against freedom of speech but the Prophet Mohamed has unique status." Politiken's editor-in-chief says the dispute "reflects the general .. debate in Denmark which has been strongly xenophobic."

OSCE Media Freedom Representative defends papers' right to publish controversial cartoons
2006/02/03 · OSCE
OSCE Representative Haraszti defended the right of a free press to publish satirical cartoons: "I understand the sensitivities of those who feel .. slighted," he said, but "what many of the demonstrators .. demand is State interference into the work of the media." He added: "we believe that governments are no agents in this business. Publications that are offensive .. should be dealt with through the self-regulatory ethics bodies of the press." He also referred to recent cases involving a caricaturist sentenced to prison in Greece for demeaning Jesus, and a Polish editor prosecuted for insulting the dignity of the Pope.

Frattini defends right to publish "imprudent" cartoons
2006/02/03 · EurActiv
Commenting on the Danish cartoon affair, EU Justice Commissioner Frattini stressed that "it should be crystal clear .. that violence, intimidation, and the calls for boycotts .. are completely unacceptable". However, he added that he understands "the feelings of indignation, frustration and sadness of the Muslim communities over .. the cartoons," and said: "Such events do not facilitate dialogue between faiths and cultures. I personally regard the publication of the cartoons as somewhat imprudent."

French politicians for freedom of expression
2006/02/03 · Le Figaro
Faced with the "scandal of the caricatures" of Muhammad, French politicians defended freedom of expression, condemning threats of reprisals and calls for boycott. Minister Sarkozy: "Caricature is by definition excess. I prefer this excess to that of censorship." The only dissonant conservative voice was MP Hunault, who called the caricatures "a pointless provocation". The Socialist Party "firmly condemned" the sacking of the France Soir managing editor, and reaffirmed "support for all the journalists who are the object of pressure and threats".

U.S. Condemns Publication Of Muhammad Cartoons
2006/02/03 · Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty
The U.S. State Department condemned cartoons in European newspapers of Islam's Prophet Muhammad. Spokesman Curtis Cooper said the cartoons had incited religious or ethnic hatred. He urged tolerance and respect.

Respect for religious symbols urged
2006/02/03 · ANSA
Italian politicians joined the debate over the cartoons of the Prophet Mohammad. Most Italian newspapers published a selection of those today. Interior Minister Pisanu appeared to criticise them, saying: "Religious symbols, whichever religion is concerned, must be respected and must not be objects of sarcasm, satire or abuse". Foreign Minister Fini also said there was a thin line between satire and "offensive" blasphemy. But Reform Minister Calderoli said that the attacks "are the tip of an iceberg of a holy war that Islam is waging against us. The West must not give in".

In quotes: Reaction to cartoons
2006/02/02 · BBC News
The decision by some European newspapers to reprint cartoons depicting the Prophet Muhammad has caused widespread condemnation protests. Governments and world leaders have been giving their reaction; a selection of political comments from around the world.

Mohammad cartoon row sparks backlash
2006/02/02 · Reuters
An international row over newspaper cartoons of the Prophet Mohammad gathered pace as more European dailies reprinted caricatures. Defending its decision to publish the cartoons, France Soir wrote: "Imagine a society that added up all the prohibitions of different religions. What would remain of the freedom .. to speak? Danish PM Rasmussen said the issue now centred on Western free speech versus taboos in Islam. Lebanon's Hizbollah leader said, "Had a Muslim carried out Imam Khomeini's fatwa against ... Salman Rushdie, they would not have dared discredit the prophet".

Cartoons: Jordanian Daily Withdrawn
2006/02/02 · AKI
The publishers of Jordanian weekly al-Shihan, which published three of the controversial Danish cartoons satirising the Prophet Mohammed, have withdrawn all copies of the paper. The owner will "severely" punish those responsible. Publishing the cartoons, Shihan's editor had asked readers: "What brings more prejudice against Islam, a foreigner's depiction of the Prophet, or a suicide-bomber who blows himself up at a wedding ceremony?" The furore over the cartoons continues; Tunisian and Moroccan authorities banned a French daily, and Al-Qaeda announced "a bloody attack" against Denmark.

Opinion: Caricatures Raise Questions of Freedom, Fairness
2006/02/02 · Deutsche Welle
Should Muslims accept caricatures of the Prophet Mohammed? Or should press freedom end where religious beliefs begin? The Danish newspaper's editor-in-chief Juste recognizes that the drawings "were interpreted as a campaign against Muslims." Domestic Muslims accepted his apology, but Arab countries have not. We need to think about whether certain rights should really remain unrestricted. A minority has a right to be protected from denigration. The leftist Taz disagrees; such a demand "cannot be fulfilled, unless we agree that priests, rabbis or imams should decide what we are allowed to read."

French editor fired over cartoons
2006/02/02 · BBC News
The editor of the French newspaper that reprinted cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad has been sacked by the owner, as his paper became embroiled in the row between Muslims and the European press. France Soir had also printed a new cartoon on its front page, showing different holy figures sitting on a cloud, captioned "Don't worry Muhammad, we've all been caricatured". The owner, a French Egyptian, said he removed the managing director "as a powerful sign of respect for the intimate beliefs .. of every individual". France Soir journalists stood by their editor in a front page editorial.

Offending Cartoons Reprinted
2006/02/02 · Washington Post
Newspapers across Europe have reprinted cartoons ridiculing the prophet Muhammad, saying they wanted to support the right of Danish and Norwegian papers to publish the caricatures. Germany's Die Welt published one on its front page and said the "right to blasphemy" is one of the freedoms of democracy. France Soir wrote that it published them "because no religious dogma can impose itself on a democratic and secular society." The president of the French Council of the Muslim Faith called the publication a "real provocation towards the millions of Muslims living in France."

Arab press fury over Prophet cartoons
2006/01/31 · BBC News
Cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad published by a Danish newspaper are provoking anger in the Arabic press. London's Al-Quds Al-Arabi writes that "What happened .. is part of the attack against Islam .. which started in the West on 9/11." Jordan's Al-Ra'y wrote that "Nobody has the right to ask us to respect "freedom of expression" when the matter concerns our Prophet." It also asserted, "they ignore democracy and human rights when someone talks about the Jews." Jordan's Al-Dustur pointed out that the publication is no different from "the attitude prevailing in Western streets against Islam."

Commission backs Denmark against boycott menace
2006/01/31 · EurActiv
EU Trade Commissioner Mandelson warned Saudi Arabia that "a boycott of Danish goods was a boycott of the European Union", and that any official backing of the boycott over the 'cartoon affair' would force the EU to take the matter to the WTO. What started out as a newspaper's cheeky provocation to test the boundaries of free speech is turning into an international incident. The outrage sweeping the Middle East has been compared to that in 1989 over Rushdies "Satanic Verses." Former Danish foreign minister Ellemann-Jensen dubbed the cartoons a "puerile provocation".

Cartoons of Prophet Met With Outrage
2006/01/31 · Washington Post
Cartoons of the prophet Muhammad have sparked protests and boycotts across the Middle East. The cartoons in Denmark's Jyllands-Posten, were reprinted in Magazinet, a small Norwegian newspaper. Kuwait spoke of "despicable racism," Iran termed them "ridiculous and revolting." Critics charged that the cartoons were a provocation, designed to incite hatred and polarize people. Defenders said they highlighted Islam's intolerance. The clash is fueled by anti-immigrant sentiment in Denmark. Professor Mozaffari said, "This is Islamists putting democracies on trial to see how far they can be pressured."

Gaza gunmen drag EU into Danish-Muslim blasphemy clash
2006/01/30 · EU Observer
In an escalation of the spat over the cartoons of the prophet Mohammed in a Danish newspaper, masked men gathered at the EU's Gaza headquarters, fired assault rifles and burnt Norwegian and Danish flags. The al-Aqsa brigades threatened that "all Danes and Swedes" must leave Palestine "within 48 hours". After a meeting of EU foreign ministers, Ursula Plassnik expressed their "solidarity with our northern colleagues, as well as our belief [in] the freedom of press [..] as part of our fundamental values". Justice commissioner Frattini in December however called the publication "thoughtless and inappropriate".

Danish muslim prophet cartoon quarrel goes to court
2006/01/09 · EU Observer
Danish Muslim organisations are planning to take the daily Jyllands-Posten to the European Court of Human Rights over controversial cartoons of the Muslim prophet Mohammed. The decision was announced Monday by Kasem Ahmad, leader of Danish Islamic religious body Islamsk Trossamfund, after a Danish local attorney general had rejected the case.

Danish step over cartoons eases Muslim anger
2006/01/04 · MSNBC
A Muslim community spokesman and Egypt's ambassador welcomed Prime Minister Rasmussen's New Year address, in which he sought to defuse a row over newspaper cartoons that seemed to portray Prophet Mohammad as a terrorist. Rasmussen has defended Denmark's tradition of free speech, which he said included the right to satirise all authorities, and refused to meet envoys of 11 Muslim states over the issue. But in his New Year address he added that free speech should be exercised "in such a manner that we do not incite hatred and cause fragmentation of the community."

Cartoons ignite cultural combat in Denmark
2006/01/01 · International Herald Tribune
When Jyllands-Posten published cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad - including one in which he wears a turban shaped as a bomb - it was unprepared for the global furor that spurred demonstrations in Kashmir and condemnation from 11 Muslim countries. The cartoons spawned a national debate over whether Denmark's famously liberal freedom of speech laws have gone too far, and Muslims say the cartoons reflect an intensifying anti-immigrant climate that is radicalizing young Muslims. Police in October arrested seven Muslim men under 21 over an alleged terrorism plot.

Dispute Rises Over Cartoons of Prophet
2005/11/28 · IPS
The Organisation of the Islamic Conference will consider the matter of the Danish newspaper that published cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed at its summit. Several leaders wrote in a joint letter that Muslims feel insulted. Prime Minister Rasmussen replied that "the Danish government has no means of influencing the press." Earlier, he said: "When Erdogan comes, I will explain him what freedom of expression means." Erdogan in turn said "freedoms have limits, what is sacred should be respected." He pointed to the Jewish reaction to 'The Passion of the Christ', saying Muslims can have similar sensitivities.

Muslim anger at Danish cartoons
2005/10/20 · BBC News
The ambassadors of 10 Muslim countries have complained to the Danish prime minister about a major newspaper's cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad. A letter from the ambassadors said the cartoons published in Jyllands-Posten last month showed the Prophet as a stereotypical fundamentalist. Pictorial depictions of the Prophet Muhammad are forbidden in Islam. A Danish government spokesman said Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen was preparing a response. Danish Muslim community leaders who held talks with Mr Rasmussen in July complained about press coverage of Islam.

Danish Muslims denounce newspaper
2005/10/12 · Al Jazeera
Danish Muslims have strongly condemned one of the country's largest newspapers for publishing drawings of the Prophet Muhammad. On 30 September, the Jyllands-Posten daily printed 12 drawings by Danish cartoonists who had been asked to illustrate the prophet. Islam bans depictions of Prophet Muhammad. 16 Muslim organisations on Wednesday demanded that Jyllands-Posten apologise for printing the drawings. Jyllands-Posten, citing the freedom of speech, said it would not.

SELECTED NEWS STORIES ON THE FRENCH RIOTS AND THEIR AFTERMATH

Use the eumap.org News section to find more media news stories! (Use "More Options" to search by country or category.)

How Muslim fundamentalists recruit in France
2006/06/05 · Le Figaro
How do people become religious fanatics in France in 2006? A recent note drawn up by General Intelligence [RG], which Le Figaro was able to consult, offers some pointers. RG describes the actors (both targets and recruiters,) the movements, and the environments within which this radicalization occurs.

Views on Immigration Differ in Eight Countries
2006/06/08 · Angus Reid Global Scan
Canadians, Australians and Americans are more likely to say immigrants are having a good influence in their respective countries, according to an eight-country poll by Ipsos. 75% of respondents in Canada, and more than half of respondents in Australia and the United States, say so. Conversely, the responses in five European nations—Germany, France, Italy, Spain and Britain—varied from a high of 47% to a low of 43%.

French youths clash with police in Paris suburbs
2006/05/30 · Reuters
A hundred youths clashed with police during the night after setting fire to cars and rubbish bins in a Paris suburb that was the scene of violent riots last November. Seven police officers were slightly injured and six youths were arrested. The youths began burning cars in reaction to a police operation in which a young man was arrested several hours earlier.

France remembers slavery victims
2006/05/10 · BBC News
France held a Slavery Remembrance Day - the first such event in an EU state. The day was ordered by President Chirac, on the fifth anniversary of a law recognising slavery as a crime against humanity. "It was imperative that slavery be given a place in our collective memory," commented professor Dorigny. Chirac said he was also committed to fighting modern forms of slavery, allowing companies that knowingly use forced labour anywhere in the world to be prosecuted in French courts.

France tries to attract higher qualified immigration
2006/05/04 · Euractiv
Experts are reservedly positive about France's proposed new immigration law, which favours granting access to better qualified workers. Workers with good qualifications would be granted a three-year residence and work permit. At the same time, immigration for lower-qualified people would be made harder. Immigrants would have to learn French and take lessons on French society, and they would lose the right to a long-term residence permit, up until now granted after ten years.

Many in France Support Qualified Immigration
2006/05/04 · Angus Reid Global Scan
According to a French poll, 51% favours rating people who want to relocate to France according to their skills and qualifications. Last week, minister Sarkozy unveiled a plan to change the immigration laws, creating a three-year residence permit for qualified workers and simplifying the rules for sectors that face labour shortages. In 2004, an official report established that young job seekers of Arab and African origin were five times more likely to be unemployed.

French Police Reach Out to Youths
2006/04/18 · Yahoo! News
Young people from tough Paris suburbs take part in a fast-track training course to become police officers. The "Cadets of the Republic" program started last fall, just before France was swept by a wave of rioting. The program is as close to an affirmative action policy as it gets here. One-third of the cadets are from immigrant families. The program does not require a high school diploma. The cadets receive a stipend equal to half France's minimum wage. They will join police forces in August.

France offers illegal immigrants increased financial incentive to return home
2006/04/10 · Le Figaro
French prefects were instructed to increase "assistance to return" even if it means "relaxing the eligibility conditions". A 150 € return allowance has been increased to 2,000 € per adult. Prefecture agents will have to act as sales reps for the system, and are assigned targets. But first figures are disappointing: 577 departures were envisaged but only 78 realized. Minister Sarkozy hopes the assistance will supplement the number of forced removals. In 2005, he pledged to return 22,500 illegal immigrants but only 20,000 left.

Fewer and fewer asylum applications
2006/04/07 · Le Figaro
The number of asylum-seekers arriving in France is in free fall. In January and February the number of new cases was down 33% compared with the same period in 2005. Applications for reexamination of foreigners whose first request was rejected dropped by 24%. If the trend continues, applications for asylum could fall from 60,000 in 2005 (and 90,000 in 2002) to 45,000 this year. The trend is partly due to the new law on asylum, which established a list of 13 countries of safe origin.

Paris braced for more riots over employment protests
2006/03/28 · The Independent
Paris is bracing itself for violence as up to 100,000 protesters are expected to march against a new employment law. Last Thursday, a student march was disrupted by 2,000 youths from the troubled suburbs who burned cars, beat and robbed student demonstrators and attacked journalists and police. Although nominally demonstrating, they made clear that they had mostly come into Paris to confront the police and rob "rich" students.

Youths from multi-racial troublespots join riots
2006/03/23, The Independent
France is facing renewed unrest in its poor suburbs, ignited by the student protests against a new jobs law. Teenagers in several Paris suburbs stoned riot police and smashed cars after leaving their schools to join the protests against measures to make it easier to hire, and fire, first-time workers under 26. Small, multi-racial groups of teenagers from the banlieues have been joining the demonstrations, burning cars and fighting the police - but also mugging the older, middle-class students.

Heard the one about the racist black comedian?
2006/03/22 · The Independent
Dieudonné's one-man comedy show is all the rage in Paris but his act is virulently anti-semitic, exploiting the anger that exploded among young Arabs and blacks in the suburbs last autumn. Now he is talking about running for the Presidency. Having become a kind of French Farrakhan, he was found guilty of "incitement to racial hatred" this month. But a phone-in opinion of Skyrock, a radio station popular with the urban and suburban young, had him coming in second, with 26%, only to Jean-Marie Le Pen (29%).

Poll: French Self-Proclaimed Racism Rising
2006/03/21 · ABC News
30% of the French consider themselves at least somewhat racist, up from 25% a year ago, according to an annual poll. The National Consultative Commission on Human Rights warned of the "lifting of a taboo". Anti-racist sentiment also appeared to be on the decline. Only 32% said they would report racist behavior to the police, down from 50%. Racist or anti-Semitic violence and threats were down, however, from 1,574 cases to 974. Anti-Semitic crimes dropped by 48%, while the number of convictions for racist and anti-Semitic crimes jumped 43%.

Imams trained in Lille
2006/03/21 · Le Figaro
A private institute is scheduled to open in Lille this September under the aegis of the National Federation of France's Muslims [FNMF] to train imams and offer courses in Arab-Muslim civilization. "This institute, which has the support of the Great Paris Mosque, will contribute to the development of French Islam far from Parisian coteries or political influences," president FNMF Mohammed Bechari said. Approximately 50 students are expected the first year.

French Sikhs appeal on turban ban
2006/03/07 · BBC News
French Sikhs must remove their turbans for driver's licence photographs. France's highest administrative body reversed an earlier ruling in favour of a French citizen from the northern Paris suburbs who was forced to remove his turban in 2004. The French branch of United Sikhs has called on President Chirac to intervene. Last year, Sikh boys were expelled from schools for refusing to remove their turbans after a law came into force which banned students from wearing conspicuous religious symbols.

Two-Thirds in France Perceive More Racism
2006/03/03 · Angus Reid Global Scan
According to a poll published in Le Parisien, 69% of the French perceive an increase in racism, and 57% feel the same way about anti-Semitism.

Brutal murder was anti-Semitic crime, says Sarkozy
2006/02/22 · The Guardian
French interior minister Sarkozy described the abduction, torture and killing of Ilan Halimi, a young Jewish man, as an anti-Semitic crime. He said the gang sought for the murder had also tried to kidnap other Jews. Halimi was found by railway tracks, with 80% of his body burned, naked and handcuffed. He died on the way to hospital. French police has flown to Ivory Coast on the trail of the suspected gang leader. Police had earlier insisted the murder was not anti-Semitic, and the victim's mother had said they ignored this motive for fear of upsetting Muslim opinion.

Human Rights Report Slams France
2006/02/12 · News.com.au
A Council of Europe report this week contains a stinging indictment of France's human rights record, highlighting issues ranging from overpopulated prisons and police brutality to summary expulsions of asylum seekers. It lambasts the reaction to anti-Semitic and racist crimes, with relevant laws "rarely and weakly applied," and the discriminatory treatment of Roma. It deplores the incarceration of minors together with adult-prison populations and convicts together with persons awaiting trial, and recommends shortening the maximum 45-day solitary confinement.

Paris youths riot after police kill Gap robber
2006/02/06 · The Independent
Sixty youths attacked a police station in the Paris suburb of Chanteloup-les-Vignes on Saturday. The youths, who also steered a blazing car into the courtyard, were protesting against the killing of a man from Chanteloup by police during a robbery. Firemen were pelted with stones by the multiracial gang. This was the first serious incident in the Paris suburbs since the three weeks of rioting which spread through poor suburbs of French towns and cities last November.

France deports African 'rioter'
2006/02/03 · BBC News
France says it has carried out the first deportation of a foreigner convicted of taking part in the November riots that swept the country. A 22-year-old man had been flown back to Mali. Six more expulsions will follow, Mr Sarkozy said. In November, Mr Sarkozy asked local authorities to deport 120 foreigners held over the riots - but most cases were dropped as many were minors.

France passes bill to fight ethnic discrimination
2006/01/12 · Xinhua
The French government named six equal opportunities chiefs to supervise a nationwide campaign and approved a bill to eliminate ethnic discrimination. The bill, which allows the anti-discrimination body HALDE to randomly test companies suspected of abuses, will create a new agency for social cohesion and equal opportunities, and beef up the powers of the CSA broadcast watchdog. It will also include a reform of the apprenticeship system, tax breaks to encourage business creation in 15 riot-hit areas, and punishments for parents who fail to keep their children in education.

Sarkozy wants new-look presidency
2006/01/12 · BBC News
French interior minister and presidential hopeful Sarkozy has outlined ideas to reform the job. Future presidents should take a greater role in day-to-day governing, but their mandates should be restricted to two. Parliament should take on the role of determining foreign and defence policy, while the PM would be reduced to co-ordinator. Sarkozy also said he would reform the immigration system, increasing the number of deportations to 25,000 next year, but immigration could, he said, bring dynamism to the economy if the right people were attracted. He said last autumn's rioting reflected years of political failure.

France to amend contested law on colonial past: Chirac
2006/01/04 · Expatica
France is to amend a law that casts a positive light on the country's colonial past, President Chirac said in a New Year's address. He acknowledged that a disputed clause of the law, which states that "school programmes recognise in particular the positive role of France's presence overseas, notably in north Africa", "needed to be rewritten". Though it passed almost unnoticed through parliament, the law has since been loudly denounced by rights groups, historians and citizens of France's overseas territories who say it aims to whitewash the colonial past.

France to lift state of emergency
2006/01/03 · BBC
President Chirac says France will lift a state of emergency imposed in November during the worst unrest in the country in nearly 40 years. The emergency measures - including powers to impose curfews and conduct police searches without warrants - formally ended early on Wednesday. Emergency powers are expected to be lifted on Wednesday, more than six weeks earlier than originally planned.

Why European women are turning to Islam
2006/01/02 · CS Monitor
It is a message that appeals to more and more Europeans as curiosity about Islam has grown since 9/11, say both Muslim and non-Muslim researchers. Although there are no precise figures, observers who monitor Europe's Muslim population estimate that several thousand men and women convert each year.

Muslims more conservative than most French
2005/12/07 · UPI
A new study finds ethnic Muslim immigrants in France are generally better educated and lean more toward the left than the overall population. But 39 % of them condemned homosexuality - compared to 21 % of French in general. 59 % of those polled - ethnic Turks, Africans and North Africans - described themselves as Muslims. Only 22 %, however, described themselves as practicing Muslims. 46 % of practicing Muslims expressed anti-Semitic sentiments, but a large majority held positive views of Christianity.

France Weighs Immigration Controls After Riots
2005/11/30 · Washington Post
The French government proposed tightening immigration controls to make entry more difficult for foreign students, require longer waiting periods for legal immigrants to apply for visas for their spouses and children, and require immigrants to be able to speak French before family members could join them. At the same time, Parliament approved new anti-terrorism laws that allow increased video surveillance and tougher monitoring of international travel by French citizens. The measures, strengthening laws that are already among the toughest in Europe, passed by 373 to 27 votes.

In France, Anthems of Alienation
2005/11/24 · Washington Post
+Bring Pressure+ from the album +By All Means Necessary+ describes high-rise Oliviers, a place seemingly suspended between the Bronx and Algiers. Like much French rap, the track now seems prophetic. 113 rapped: "There had better not be a police blunder / Or the town will go up / The 'burbs are a time bomb." Rappers dismiss charges of incitement: "We're like singing newspapers. What we say goes on whether we say it or not. So better to listen." The youths differ from their parents, who "worked until their backs broke for nothing and were happy to do it." Skar: "We don't take Algeria as our point of reference. We compare ourselves to white France."

A Mixed Family Struggles On France's Urban Fringe
2005/11/21 · Washington Post
80% of Clichy-sous-Bois is designated a "vulnerable urban zone". There are no cinemas, no bars, there is no hospital and no municipal police force. The computers in the youth center that teens are encouraged to use for job hunts are broken. As immigrants moved on to more prosperous lives, the town began filling up with new ones - first Arabs, then Africans - each group poorer than the last. Mohamed Zeriou, who has a Moroccan father and French mother, wants to become a locksmith. "But it's impossible to get a job. If I say I live in Clichy-sous-Bois, they won't even call me back."

French unrest blamed on lack of ethnic minority representation in media
2005/11/20 • The Independent
In his speech to the nation last week, French President Jacques Chirac singled out the failure of the French media, especially television, to hold up a mirror to the variety of races that now make up the French nation. For foreign visitors or residents used to the recently acquired ethnic mixture on British or American TV, French screens are surprisingly monochromatic. Equally, French newspapers, both national and regional, have few reporters with Arab or African-sounding names. The mainstream news and current affairs programmes, and most French TV soaps and detective shows, are the almost exclusive preserve of white faces.

Young Female Immigrants in France at Risk
2005/11/17 · ABC News
If young men in France's housing projects have it rough, girls have it worse. Not only do they suffer from racism and unemployment: they endure daily harassment in their own communities. Fadela Amara of "Ni Putes, Ni Soumises" notes a pattern of unemployed immigrant fathers losing authority to sons who bring in money by dealing drugs, stealing or who adopted radical Islam. Girls in such families are particularly exposed to violence. Some girls started wearing headscarves as protection. But then they face the French state, which banned those from schools.

French Muslim leaders reject blame for riots
2005/11/17 · Reuters
Muslim leaders denounced efforts to blame Islam for the riots. French media mostly called rioters "youths" while foreign media described them as Muslims. Some media abroad portrayed a kind of Muslim uprising, while some politicians suggested Islamists were behind the riots. When little proof emerged, some pointed to polygamy. Looming elections make identifying blame a hot issue. A Muslim leader said he was concerned but disagreed with how local officials turned to religious leaders: "We refuse to be sub-contractors", and "We don't want to be scapegoats for the failures of integration policy."

Riot coverage 'excessive', says French TV boss
2005/11/16 · Netnovinar.org
A leading news executive in France has admitted censoring TV coverage of the riots for fear of encouraging support for the far-right. The TCI director general said the prominence given to the rioters on international networks had been 'excessive'. French broadcasters have faced criticism for their lack of coverage of the country's worst civil unrest in decades. France 3 stopped broadcasting the numbers of torched cars. 'Do we send teams of journalists because cars are burning, or are the cars burning because we sent teams of journalists?' asked the editor-in-chief of France 2.

Long Integrated, Marseille Is Spared
2005/11/16 · Washington Post
Marseille suffered little violence during France's riots. History is one reason. While others fret about recent immigrants, Marseille has attracted outsiders for over 100 years. "France does not attract me," said Ghazi, referring to France as something distinct from Marseille, in a pride typical in cities that long existed independently. Mayors have given official recognition to diversity, rather than trying to fit everyone into one box of Frenchness. And no part of town is off-limits to the poor; fans flock to the Olympique Marseille stadium in a wealthy neighborhood without a second thought.

Polygamy cited as possible factor in French riots
2005/11/16 · Reuters
Polygamy was a factor behind the French riots, senior conservative politicians suggested. The UMP parliamentary leader said: "In order for us to be able to integrate [immigrants], there must not be more than our capacity to integrate them. It's like polygamy....It's certainly one of the causes". Employment Minister Larcher said large polygamous families led to anti-social behavior, so "it is not surprising that some of them have difficulties finding work". Larcher raised a case he knew of one arrested youth who investigation revealed had come from a polygamous family.

Chirac Says Companies Should Reflect French Diversity
2005/11/15 · Bloomberg
President Chirac called on companies and parties to "better reflect'' the country's diversity: "Companies and unions must get mobilized". But he rejected quotas. A white man with a French name is five times more likely to be called for a job interview than a man with a Northern African name with a similar resume, said a 2004 study. The National Police Chief said recruitment patterns will be changed, like in the U.K. The biggest employers federation says it's not opposed to discussing quotas.

A loud 'non' to quotas based on race
2005/11/15 · International Herald Tribune
France remains divided on what to do after the riots. Positive discrimination supporters include minister Sarkozy, but he was effectively overruled by Chirac, who derided the "logic of quotas" in a televised speech. Employment minister Larcher said the government did not believe it was the job of companies to fix social problems: "Companies are not the Salvation Army." A Socialist MP has said positive discrimination is needed on "social and geographical grounds." Sarkozy has insisted that "there are regions and categories of French people that, if we don't help them, will never make it."

Riots Force France to Address Inequality
2005/11/15 · Yahoo! News
One of France's champions of affirmative action is an IT company chief of Algerian origin. Yazid Sabeg: "We need to work on representation. There's no diversity, not in media, not in economics, not in public life. It's all white and Christian. We need mechanisms that assure equality." The biggest champion of affirmative action is Minister Sarkozy, himself the object of immigrant anger over his tough talk. Sabeg said it is needed to counteract the cronyism of the elite educational institutions: "There is a tacit positive discrimination, that of networking ... which favors closed elites."

French riots boost far right
2005/11/15 · UPI
Five years after capturing second place in presidential elections, France's National Front is again making waves - or riding them, coasting on the backlash over weeks of riots. Le Pen's prescriptions are clear cut: stop immigration, kick out illegal immigrants; give French preference in social services and jobs; deport second-generation immigrants of French nationality who break the law. A poll placed his popularity at 24% - and President Chirac's at 29%.

France to extend state of emergency; Chirac: 'Profound malaise’ sparked riots
2005/11/14 · MSNBC
President Chirac said the weeks of riots signalled a “profound malaise”, and ordered measures to reach out to troubled youths and fight discrimination. He announced a training corps for 50,000 youths, and said the French media need to “better reflect the reality of France today.” But he appeared to rule out affirmative action programs amid a debate over whether France’s strict principles of equality caused it to fail in acknowledging and addressing racial tensions. Chirac spoke after the approval of the extension of the state of emergency. Violence has decreased steadily since a state of emergency was declared Wednesday.

Brussels to hand out millions to France after riots
2005/11/14 · EU Observer
The European Commission offered €50 million of EU aid to help France recover from weeks of rioting, while signalling that up to €1 billion could be made available in the long term. Commission President Barroso suggested in a letter to Prime Minister de Villepin that Paris could use EU funds for boosting employment and social cohesion in the suburbs.

Riots are a class act - and often they're the only alternative
2005/11/14 · The Guardian
The struggle between minority French youth and the police might actually yield progress. Condemning the rioters is easy. But unemployed, socially excluded, harassed by the police and condemned to poor housing; statistically invisible and politically unrepresented, their aim was to be acknowledged. They succeeded. Even as politicians talk tough, the government plans for work placements for all unemployed youth in the poorest suburbs; tax breaks for companies who set up on sink estates; 5,000 extra teachers, 10,000 scholarships. It wouldn't have happened without riots, not through any petition or peaceful march. Rioting is a class act: wealthy people don't need to, they have the levers of democracy at their disposal.

Militants attack mosque in bid to reignite French riots
2005/11/12 · The Independent
Molotov cocktails were hurled at a mosque in southern France in an apparent attempt by far-right militants to reignite the urban riots. Earlier, Paris police banned all large gatherings from 10am today, after internet appeals to rioters to invade the city centre. The past three nights there has been a marked reduction in rioting. French authorities also made it clear that they would take a harsh line with violent police officers. One policeman was placed in custody and four others put under investigation.

Paris bans weekend gatherings
2005/11/11 · Reuters
Paris banned any gathering that might provoke disorder this weekend, after warnings that violence was planned for Saturday. The transport and purchase of petrol in jerry cans was also banned after the arrest of people carrying firebombs. France's unrest has decreased since emergency measures, including curfews, were adopted on Tuesday. But violence in Paris suburbs rose overnight. Residents of those suburbs staged a protest, calling for an end to violence and for the government to listen to the youths. Fears that violence would spread across Europe meanwhile proved unfounded.

Riots put French police under spotlight
2005/11/11 · Reuters AlertNet
French police faces accusations of cracking down too hard on rioting youngsters. Bilel, from the Paris suburb of Grigny, described a policeman celebrating "like at a football match" after shooting a protestor in the leg. Minister Sarkozy has acknowledged there are not enough senior non-white police. A monitoring commission this year reported police abuse was rising, especially in the Paris suburbs. It highlighted poor training, bad supervision and inexperience. On Thursday, policemen were suspended after two beat a young man they had detained.

With curfews in force and riots waning, has France finally turned the corner?
2005/11/11 · The Independent
Evreux is one of the communities that have imposed a curfew, confining a quarter of its population to their homes. The measure seems improbably draconian in a place where ducks paddle in a town-centre trout stream. But looming over the town is La Madeleine - a sprawling network of apartment blocks, home to many nationalities, largely African, Turkish and Chinese. Now, anyone found outside there after 10 PM without emergency reason is liable to immediate arrest, a fine or a month's imprisonment. The curfew applies only to La Madeleine, leaving the rest of Evreux free to enjoy its theatre and restaurants.

A tram journey through France's heart of darkness
2005/11/10 · The Independent
In 2003, Le Tramway 1 was hailed as making good on a promise by the government to link the isolated banlieues, or suburbs, with the rest of Paris. Le Tramway takes 45 minutes to glide through some of the French capital's grimmest neighbourhoods. It is a journey that epitomises the disconnection between a modern gleaming France that produces urban transport that Londoners can only dream of, and the concrete ghettoes it serves, where disenfranchised young people were just days ago throwing petrol bombs at buses for kicks.

Sarkozy orders deportation of foreign rioters
2005/11/10 · Ezilon Infobase
Minister Sarkozy ordered the expulsion of all foreigners convicted during the rioting in France, including those whose papers were in order. Rights organisations denounced the measure as applying "a double penalty". 120 foreigners are among the over 1,100 arrested since the riots began. Arrested youths almost all have criminal records. Many are second- or third-generation Arab immigrants. Others are from African backgrounds, with a sprinkling of ethnically French and eastern and southern European youths. The riots seem to follow the pattern of similar, smaller outbreaks in the past decade.

Europe: New spread of unrest feared
2005/11/10 · TerraViva Europe
The fears of recent French unrest spreading grew after youth gangs set fire to several vehicles in Berlin, Bremen and Brussels. A school and a store were set on fire in Huchting, outside Bremen. German police denied any link with the French riots, but a Huchting teenager said Paris events had inspired them. State premier Kurt Beck said deprived minority youths could feel tempted to follow the French example. But a Huchting social worker relativated the incidents: "Many kids think, oh, it is great, we in Huchting also come in the news."

France's Youth Battles Also Waged on the Web
2005/11/10 · Washington Post
While riot police attempt to curb the violence in France's poor suburbs, officials have only just begun the struggle to control a more amorphous battleground: cyberspace. Hackers took over the Web site of Clichy-sous-Bois, and dispatched thousands of fake e-mails announcing the mayor's resignation. Local gangs have used text messaging as early warning systems about the movements of riot police. "The Internet can increase the momentum of the crisis," said Bruno Patino. Monitors said the greatest impact of the net has been in conveying messages that incite further violence.

Bloggers Who Urged Rioters Investigated
2005/11/09 · Abcnews
Paris prosecutors opened an inquiry into two young bloggers who urged French youths to riot and revolt against the police. The youths, a 16-year-old French teen and an 18-year-old with Ghanian nationality, were detained Monday in the Paris region. They were to be placed under investigation, a step short of formal charges, for inciting harm to people and property over the Internet, an official said, speaking on condition of anonymity because French law bars the disclosure of information from ongoing investigations. The charge carries a risk of up to five years in prison and a $52,800 fine.

French violence hits fresh peak
2005/11/07 · BBC News
A new night of rioting has left 1,408 vehicles burnt out and resulted in 395 arrests - the highest tolls yet . Ten policemen were injured by shots and stones when they confronted 200 rioters in the Paris suburb of Grigny. Muslim leaders have issued a fatwa against the riots. Police chiefs said gangs seemed intent on fighting their men: "This is serious violence - not like the previous nights. This is mounting." In his first public address on the violence, President Chirac said, "The law must have the last word".

Rage of French Youth Is a Fight for Recognition
2005/11/06 · Washington Post
Mohammed Rezzoug, caretaker of the municipal soccer field, knows more about the youths torching cars in this suburb than the police officers and French intelligence agents. He can identify most of the perpetrators. So can almost everyone else here. Politicians say the violence is the work of organized criminal gangs, but Rezzoug says: "It's not a political revolution or a Muslim revolution." An 18-year-old son of Ivory Coast immigrants says: "We want to change the government. There's no way of getting their attention. The only way to communicate is by burning."

Riots Spread Across France And Into Paris
2005/11/06 · Washington Post
Violence spilled to 15 cities across France Saturday, erupting in Strasbourg, Bordeaux, Rouen and Orleans. Nearly 900 vehicles were torched, almost twice the number as the previous night, and a dozen schools, police stations and youth centers. Tactics were similar everywhere: mobile bands of youths set random blazes. Youths hurled rocks at paramedics attempting to evacuate a patient, then set the ambulance ablaze. President Chirac has not publicly addressed the crisis since it began Oct. 27. Residents held quiet marches to protest the violence.

As Youth Riots Spread Across France, Muslim Groups Attempt to Intervene
2005/11/05 · Washington Post
Some 1,260 vehicles were torched in the Paris area in the past week. The unrest has paralyzed the government, setting senior officials bickering. Two trains connecting Paris and the airport were attacked. Some of the violence has been devastating. Youths firebombed a bus with the passengers inside; as a 56-year-old descended on crutches, they splashed her with gasoline and threw a flaming rag at her. The driver put out the flames and rushed her to a hospital. In Sevran, the Muslim Cultural Association dispatches volunteers door to door to plead: Stay away from the violence.

French riots spread beyond Paris
2005/11/04 · BBC News
The violence that has wracked Paris suburbs over the past week has spread to new areas and outside the capital for the first time. French youths set alight buildings and burned more than 500 vehicles in the eighth consecutive night of rioting. Cars were torched in the eastern city of Dijon, and unrest flared in the Rouen area and in the Bouches-du-Rhone region near Marseille.

Fresh violence hits Paris suburbs
2005/11/03 · BBC News
Rioting youths shot at police and torched 177 vehicles during overnight violence in Paris. Gangs besieged a police station, set fire to a car dealership and threw petrol bombs at public buses. At least nine people were injured on a seventh consecutive night of violence. Wednesday night's violence erupted in nine areas across Seine-Saint-Denis, home to largely poor north African communities. Two primary schools, a post office and a shopping centre were damaged.

French Rioting Spreads as Government Seeks an Answer
2005/11/03 · Washington Post
Rioting spread to 13 towns on the outskirts of Paris. In a rapid escalation of the violence, gangs set fire to as many as 228 vehicles on Wednesday night. Riot police fired rubber-coated bullets and stun grenades to disperse attackers. The violence was contagious in communities where unemployment is over twice the average, crime is rampant, social services are minimal and residents are packed into shabby high-rise apartments. "This problem is exploding in the face of the government," said Dominique Moisi.

Dozens of cars torched as Paris riots spread
2005/11/02 · Reuters
President Chirac urged calm after a sixth night of unrest in poor suburbs of Paris, which triggered a row between ministers in France's conservative government. Tense order was kept in Clichy-sous-Bois as street fighting broke out in previously quiet areas. Government squabbling broke out when equal opportunities minister Begag criticised interior minister Sarkozy for calling the protesting youths "scum". He also complained that Sarkozy never consulted him.

'Misleading' ministers blamed over Paris riots
05/11/01 · The Independent
Minister Sarkozy sought to calm the fury in a Paris suburb which has generated four nights of riots. He spoke to the parents of the two boys who were electrocuted in a sub-station. At first, Sarkozy and Prime Minister de Villepin had said that the boys were sought in connection with a burglary; then, that they were suspected of vandalism. The government later admitted that neither was true. Renewed violence was feared after a tear-gas shell exploded inside a local mosque.

Youths riot for second night in Paris suburb
2005/10/29 · Reuters
French youths fought with police and set cars ablaze in a Paris suburb in a second night of rioting, which was triggered when two teenagers were electrocuted while fleeing police. Firefighters intervened around 40 times in Clichy-sous-Bois, a suburb of high-rise social housing with many immigrant residents. A police trade union officer called for help from the army: "There's a civil war under way. My colleagues neither have the equipment nor the training for street fighting." Several hundred people took part in a silent march to honour the two teenagers.