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Violence Abates in France After 20 Nights

Posted on: Wednesday, 16 November 2005, 12:00 CST

After 20 nights of fires and running riots with police, officials in France said Wednesday violence had dropped drastically overnight.

Across the country, 163 cars were torched, which is almost down to the levels seen before the riots began last month, the BBC said. As insurers estimated losses at $230 million, the Senate began debate on extending emergency laws by three months. Tuesday, the French lower house passed the measure that allows local authorities to impose curfews, conduct house-to-house searches and ban public gatherings.

President Jacques Chirac told Cabinet ministers the extraordinary powers are strictly temporary and will only be applied where they are strictly necessary.

French police say 8,973 cars were burned in the violence and 2,888 people were arrested.

The riots began when two African teenagers were electrocuted in a Paris suburban electrical sub-station after running from police, believing they were being chased.

Source: United Press International

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