Burning Cars

Comment and Analysis from Gary Younge, The Guardian:

"We need to respond strongly and quickly to the undeniable problems facing many inhabitants of the deprived neighbourhoods," said President Chirac. From the man who once said that immigrants had breached the "threshold of tolerance" and were sending French workers "mad" with their "noise and smell" this was progress indeed.

I can't believe he said that!

When all non-violent, democratic means of achieving a just end are unavailable, redundant or exhausted, rioting is justifiable.

Before reading Mr Younge's article, I was pretty convinced that setting cars on fire was a stupid thing to do. I thought that France's marginalised youth should have ideally 'done a Gandhi' and pushed for change peacefully. Post reading, I've been brought back to reality and I must admit that they have most certainly succeeded in bringing their plight to the attention of French authorities. So maybe burning Peogeots aren't so bad after all if the smoke sets off some political alarm.

But despite all the media hype these incidents have brought about, like Mr Younge, I doubt any real change can occur unless these people have a credible spokesperson. The French government has listed an impressive myriad of promises, ones that may not benefit these kids optimally when actual implementation takes place.

The right thing to do may have been to not 'do a Gandhi', as proved by the positive turn in events for the fighters of this cause. These people need a face to lead their fiery protests; a frontman to participate in talks with the government.The one wrong thing that they may done is to not have a Gandhi, a Martin Luther King or a Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, even. Right now they're just a bunch of kids on a sugar low who burn cars.