Schadenfreude is when one takes pleasure from the suffering of others, and it has launched me into a height of Europhoria thanks to the French. For the past WEEK, the Paris suburbs have been a lawless wasteland of rioting. Hundreds of vehicles, storefronts and other buildings have been burned and damaged beyond recognition.
However, the fiercest fighting has occurred between politicians fighting over the terms of dialog with which to engage the rioters. The Interior Minister has been roundly denounced for describing the rioters as a "rabble" and Chirac is under fire for not addressing the issue for six days. Chirac finally had a spokesman release a statement urging "dialog".
While the fiercest French warriors were wandering the halls of government, the official face of French l'authorita were out in the streets trying to engage the rioters in "dialog". The police formed a line hiding behind riot shields and fired rubber bullets into the crowd. This tactic was no doubt learned in the summer of 1940 on the Belgian frontier, and had about the same amount of success as the rioters reached and overran a police station. This show of strength by the uniformed French gendarmes has inspired the riotous youth to change tactics. Early in the week rioters largely avoided police, but have now taken a tact of direct confrontation. We even heard the first reports of gunfire from the rioters today.
So far the numbers of arrested and injured are unimpressive compared to the 50 or so dead in the Rodney King riots that lasted just a few hours. About 140 people have been arrested in the last week and only 25 cops have suffered injuries, but things are getting worse and I sincerely doubt the French government is putting out comprehensive numbers considering their inability to exert control over the Paris suburbs.
All in all, it hass been a good run for the 5th Republic (or is it the 8th? I lost track). They have been going strong for almost 50 years without any embarrassing invasions (it turns out that group of Germans were simply on a bus tour and returned to Germany after finding all the shops closed and witnessing a strange phenomenon of white laundry drying on every line.) It was only a matter of time before foreign invaders brought down another French Republic.
This time the invaders were given a head start. Instead of having to cross the whole of the Belgian Frontier to get to Paris, now they just have to come from the suburbs. And while this group may hate jews just as much as the last bunch, they don't have much else in common. But be careful with schadenfreude, if you say it to loudly, it might frighten the rioters back into their homes and you'll be accused of stifling the much needed "dialog".
