Sarkozy vows to punish gun-toting rioters
PARIS (AFP) — French President Nicolas Sarkozy vowed Wednesday that rioters who shot at police during a flare-up of Paris suburban violence would be severely punished, as security was stepped up to contain the unrest.
About 1,000 police were again mobilised on Wednesday night in the troubled Villiers-le-Bel suburb in an attempt to smother any recurrence of the rioting, arson attacks and shootings of previous nights.
Back from a state visit to China, Sarkozy chaired a special cabinet meeting on the disturbances, France's worst troubles since nationwide riots in restive suburbs in 2005, after visiting a wounded police chief in hospital.
"Opening fire at officials is completely unacceptable," Sarkozy warned. "This has a name: attempted murder," he said, promising that "those who take it into their hands to shoot at officials will find themselves in court."
For two nights this week, youths hurled petrol bombs and bricks at police, torching cars and buildings. The use of shotguns against police dramatically upped the stakes in the face-off.
Stepped-up security measures -- including 1,000 riot police, SWAT teams and surveillance helicopters -- were to remain in place Wednesday night, officials said, despite complaints from residents at the cordoning-off of their neighbourhood.
Interior Minister Michele Alliot-Marie told Europe 1 radio the police clampdown would be "maintained as long as necessary", suggesting local gang leaders were orchestrating the violence.
Tuesday night passed more calmly in the restive Villiers suburb thanks to the massive police reinforcements.
At least 130 police officers have been injured, several by lead shot, since violence broke out Sunday in the north Paris suburb of Villiers le Bel, touched off when two teenagers were killed in a motorbike collision with a police car.
Prosecutors Wednesday launched a fast-track investigation for attempted homicide in a bid to trace the owners of one of the guns fired at officers on Monday night.
Prime Minister Francois Fillon, who spent Tuesday evening in Villiers, told parliament those responsible would be "tracked down, arrested and brought to justice".
"When you fire a shotgun at security forces from 15 metres away, you are not just a rioter. You are someone committing attempted homicide," he said.
Despite the police lockdown, several dozen cars and several buildings were still torched Tuesday night, mainly in towns around Villiers, according to the regional prefect.
Youths threw petrol bombs at police and tried to set fire to a bus in Les Mureaux northwest of Paris. In Vitry sur Seine to the south arsonists threw a flaming chair through the window of a primary school.
In the southern city of Toulouse, about 20 cars were torched and a blaze was started in a library.
Police unions say the intensity of the violence unleashed since Sunday is worse than the 2005 riots -- also sparked by the deaths of two youths.
"It felt like they were out to kill us. We knew there were weapons in the suburbs, but never turned against us like that," one wounded police officer told AFP.
Fillon said the situation was "much calmer... but we can all feel that it remains fragile and it requires a strong deterrent force on the ground to stop what happened last night from recurring."
Police and politicians say the French suburbs remain a "tinderbox" after the 2005 riots, which exposed France's failure to integrate its large black and Arab population.
Government spokesman Laurent Wauquiez said after Wednesday's cabinet meeting that a vaunted plan to boost education, job prospects and transport links in the suburbs would be unveiled in January.
Eager to appease locals, some of whom suspect police of causing Sunday's fatal accident then fleeing the scene, Sarkozy met Wednesday with the families of the victims and promised them a full inquiry.
State prosecutor Marie-Therese de Givry later announced the opening of a judicial investigation for manslaughter into the death of Mohsin Sehhouli, 15, and Lakamy Samoura, 16.
Both youths are to be buried in their countries of origin, respectively Morocco and Senegal, their families said.
An initial investigation has confirmed the police version of Sunday's deaths, according to which the two teenagers -- neither wearing a crash helmet -- were riding a motorbike that hit the police car.
