French rioters open fire on police, 10 hurt
GRIGNY, France (Reuters) - Rioters fired shots at police in an 11th night of riots in France on Sunday, injuring 10 policemen, two of them seriously, police said.
Some 200 youths were lobbing stones and other objects at police in Grigny, south of Paris, a police spokesman said, adding that some of the rioters had fired at officers with shotguns, hitting 10 policemen.
Two officers were being treated in hospital, one with lead shot wounds to the throat, the other with wounds to a leg.
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France's President Jacques Chirac puts his notes in his pocket before speaking about recent violence in poor suburbs in the courtyard of the Elysee Palace in Paris November 6, 2005. (REUTERS/John Schults) |
The fresh violence came just hours after President Jacques Chirac vowed to restore order, making his first public comments since the riots started in Paris's poor suburbs on Oct. 27.
"The Republic is quite determined, by definition, to be stronger than those who want to sow violence or fear," Chirac said after a domestic security council met to respond to the violence in which thousands of cars have gone up in flames.
"The law must have the last word," Chirac said.
Rioting began with the accidental electrocution of two youths apparently fleeing police. Their deaths ignited frustration among ethnic minorities over racism, unemployment, police treatment and their marginal place in French society.
The riots have spread from Paris's bleak suburbs to other French cities. Towns such as Toulouse, Nantes and Strasbourg were hit by violence on Sunday.
Copyright © 2008 Reuters
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