Are the French riots just the beginning?
From our UK edition
For a moment, the heart of Paris slipped beyond all state control. Standing on the Boulevard de Sebastopol – a tree-lined artery that runs through central Paris – gave one the impression, on Saturday, of being on a conveyor belt leading towards an industrial incinerator. Locals and voyeurs were all staring in the same direction, towards a mass of glowing red and black smoke 200 metres away. Here was a concentration of rioters, jeering and shouting. At times, the chant ‘aux armes’ (to arms) emerged from the crowd. Bangs of fireworks and the smell of combusting plastic lent the scene little that would distinguish it from a warzone. A few police cars and six officers watched the approaching mass, too.
