[Praxius]

Police, youths clash in Paris suburbs

Groups of French youths threw rocks and bottles at police in a Paris suburb Sunday night in violence that left 21 police officers injured, and a number of cars and stores vandalized. The clashes erupted after two teenagers were killed in a motorcycle crash with a police car, reminiscent of the tensions that drove countrywide riots in immigrant-heavy housing projects in 2005. Those riots were described as the worst civil unrest in France in more than 40 years. Sunday's violence occurred in Villiers-le-Bel, a town of public housing blocks that is home to Arab, black and white residents, just a few kilometres north of the French capital. A 15-year-old and 16-year-old were killed after the motorcycle they were on crashed into a patrol car. Police said the teens ignored traffic rules and weren't wearing helmets as they rode the unregistered vehicle. Shortly after, groups of youths threw Molotov cocktails at a nearby police station, which was almost completely burned down. They also targeted shops and torched about 15 cars, said police. Eight people were arrested and 21 police officers injured, said police. The suburbs are dominated by African and Arab immigrants and their French-born children who complain of high unemployment and racial discrimination. Some of the worst violence in France's history occurred two years ago when two teenagers died in an electrical substation following a police chase. Rioters targeted schools, hospitals, buses and cars, leaving a wake of immense material destruction that prompted authorities to declare a state of emergency and impose curfews. French President Nicolas Sarkozy was elected earlier this year on a platform of law and order and promises to address suburban violence.

Should be an interesting challenge for him.