On French Youth's Riots

France is experiencing the equivalent of a social earthquake during the ongoing unprecedented violent ethnic riots, which have continued for  more  than 12 consecutive days. There are more cars burned in Paris than in Bagdad in the same time period. European and international media spoke of Paris burning, a civil war in France, and a new May '68 revolution that has gone  out of control.

What are the origins of the social rage, and the massive destruction of  institutions and properties in the rioters' own neighbourhoods? Does radical Islam play a role?

The French suburbs have a history of violence. They came to be an issue in the news in the country in the early 1980s. Suburbs in France are the equivalent of inner cities in the US and carry all the same stereotypes. They are large enclaves of immigrants from north Africa and the sub-Saharan countries, characterized by high unemployment (more than 45 %), high rates
of school drop outs, crime, drugs and violence.  Because of these conditions, it is also the place where the fundamentalists are most actively recruiting for Jihad. The French government's response was hard but not effective against these young angry men who appear to be without dreams or hope for a better future, and the criminal elements that encourage them to challenge the French social model.

Without tackling the issue of race and diversity in French society and without a more inclusive definition of the French citizen, France will not be able to solve its social and ethnic problems. France needs to recognize that its social reality has changed, that it is now a multi-ethnic society and that it has serious problems with race and unemployment. A recent report showed that there is massive discrimination in the job market: the last name
alone signals ethnic origin, so that even highly educated people (with college and graduate degrees) of North African descent cannot find employment.

What is needed is a more flexible labor market, less regulation and less red tape, so that these young people, many of whom can become entrepreneurs, have an opportunity to do so. By not doing something to provide opportunities for work, and by continuing to simply provide unemployment  benefits, France is creating more opportunities for radical Islam to succeed in the poorest areas.

Published in: published in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution / AJC (www.ajc.com)