On Saturday night there was further violence, including an attack on a bus in Marseile that left a young woman in critical condition.
In Paris 12 bus routes were closed on saturday night for 'security reasons'. There was however one case of a bus being burnt in Yvelines (north-western suburb of Paris). Overnight there were also isolated incidents of buses being stoned and of projectiles being thrown at police.
A more serious incident took place on Saturday night in Marseile . A group of masked youths tried to get onto a bus, but failed. When the bus went past again they managed to stop it, the details of how have not been released by the police, and forced their way on, spreading petrol over the bus and setting it alight. One of the twelve passengers, a 26 year old woman of senegalese origin, suffered 70% burns. She is currently in critical condition in intensive care.
There were no bus services in Marseille all day Sunday as drivers exercised their right to refuse to work.
Nicolas Sarkozy has dispatched two companies of CRS riot police as reinforcements. HE has however come under heavy criticism for his confrontational attitude. He was widely blamed for the riots last year and his draconian methods and aggressive rhetoric have been repeatedly blamed for escalating tensions.
The UNSA, the police union, has called for an increase in police numbers and resources, they are not currently threatening strike action.
A meeting has been called for Monday to formulate a country-wide plan to try to formulate a plan of reaction towards this spate of bus burnings. It can be assumed that the Police are refusing to reveal details of how the bus was stopped to prevent copycat attacks.
Comments