Ongoing 'intifada' in France
has injured 2,500 police in 2006
"We are in a state of civil war,
orchestrated by radical Islamists,"
said Michel Thoomis, secretary general
of the Action Police trade union.
"This is not a question of urban violence
any more.
It is an intifada, with stones
and firebombs."
The French Interior Ministry has acknowledged
The French Interior Ministry has acknowledged
the Muslim uprising. The ministry said more than
2,500 police officers have been injured in 2006.
lucrative drug networks, have
organized youngsters in housing
projects to ambush police and
confront security forces.
***
The response time allows hundreds of
Muslims to storm police cars and patrols
within minutes.
"You no longer see two or three youths
"You no longer see two or three youths
confronting police," Thoomis said.
"You see whole tower blocks emptying into
the streets to set their comrades free when
they are arrested."
***
Not surprisingly, Muslim neighborhoods
***
Not surprisingly, Muslim neighborhoods
are becoming autonomous zones,
with police and government workers too
scared to enter.
The police union is demanding the
Interior Ministry supply officers with
armored cars.
**
European law enforcement sources
European law enforcement sources
say France could be a model
for other countries.
The most worried are
Britain and the Netherlands.