The American media has gone back to ignoring the story, but the riots in France have continued nonetheless.
PARIS, Nov. 12 — Dozens of youths threw trash cans at police and attacked sidewalk shops in a main square of Lyon on Saturday night in the first clash between rioters and police in a city center after more than two weeks of violence in France, according to news reports.
Youths stormed through the historic Place Bellecour in Lyon, France’s third-largest city, located in the southeastern Rhone Valley region, even though the city had imposed a nighttime curfew on minors not accompanied by parents. Police fired tear gas to disperse the youths, and 10 people were arrested, officials said.
Meanwhile, rumors spread of major protests in Paris brought out the police:
In Paris, an estimated 3,000 police swarmed across the city Saturday, reinforcing security at major tourist sites and suburban subway and train lines after a wave of Internet blogs and cell phone text messages urged the youths who have been torching cars and government buildings in the suburbs to take their grievances to the heart of the capital.
“This is not a rumor,” National Police Chief Michel Gaudin told reporters, adding that two of Paris’s most popular tourist sites — the Eiffel Tower and the Champs-Elysees — were among potential targets for violence. “I think one can easily imagine the places where we must be highly vigilant.”
And the rioting continued elsewhere:
In the southern town of Carpentras in the Provence region, youths burned a school Saturday night. On Friday night, a motor-scooter rider threw two gasoline bombs at a mosque during prayers, causing minor damage. Police said it was unclear whether the attack was linked to the other violence around the country. Many of the youths involved in the rioting are Muslim.
Although the level of violence has declined since last weekend, when more than 1,400 vehicles were burned in one night across 300 towns and communities, police said 502 cars were set ablaze Friday night and early Saturday morning, a slight increase from the previous night.
The rest of the Post story leads one to believe that the rioting has died down. The real story, though, is that the American media has just ignored it. A complete round up of the pathetic coverage of this story by the American media can be found over at Captain’s Quarters.
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