2007 civil unrest in Villiers-le-Bel
Encyclopedia
The 2007 unrest
in the Val-d'Oise
department in France began 26 November 2007, following the deaths of two teenagers (Moushin S., 15, and Larami S., 16), whose motorcycle
collided with a police vehicle
. The circumstances recalled those that precipitated the 2005 unrest
, which began in Clichy-sous-Bois
when two teenagers lost their lives as they evaded arrest while hiding in an electrical substation
.
, on which the youths were riding, collided with a police vehicle
. The families of the youths allege that police rammed
the motorcycle and left the two teenagers for dead. The police deny this, saying that the motorcycle was stolen and was an unregistered
vehicle not valid for street use, travelling at high speed, and that the youths were not wearing any protective headgear
- an account, according to French newspaper reports, confirmed by two eyewitnesses
. A police investigation indicated that the motorcycle was in third (top) gear and that the police car was not going over 40 km/h (25 mph).
formed around the spot of the road accident. Divisional Commissioner Jean-François Illy, in charge of Sarcelles
area, had his car burned and was hit with iron bars as he was trying to defuse the situation, and was hospitalised with a fracture
d nose
and rib
s.
However, the scene of the accident was kept untouched by the crowd .
Over 130 policemen were injured during night-time riot
s and violent clashes, which began in Villiers-le-Bel
in the Val-d'Oise
department. Over 70 cars
and buildings were burned
, including a library
, two schools, a police station
, and several shop
s. According to Interior Minister
Michèle Alliot-Marie
, several police officers were hit by shotgun
pellets. One officer received a serious shoulder wound when a firearm projectile pierced his body armour and another lost an eye.http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/11/27/europe/france.php including six seriously wounded officers "who notably were struck in the face and close to the eyes." One police officer said that thirty officers had been hit by shotgun pellets, and one hit by a "bullet used to kill large game." He likened the situation to a "guerilla war".
At least ten cars were burned and a fire broke out at a library in Reynerie, a suburb of the southern city of Toulouse
. Eight rioters were arrested by the police on the night of 27 November.
On 28 November, President Nicolas Sarkozy
, who was in China during the events, met Prime Minister
François Fillon
, Interior Minister Michèle Alliot-Marie
, and Justice Minister
Rachida Dati
for a security briefing. The authorities decided not to give detailed account of the riots, however, they announced that 39 people were arrested the night before.
On 29 November, French suburbs stayed relatively calm Wednesday night after 1,000 riot police were deployed. No report of injuries.
2005 civil unrest in France
2006 Brussels riots
2008 civil unrest in Greece
Banlieues
Civil disorder
Civil disorder, also known as civil unrest or civil strife, is a broad term that is typically used by law enforcement to describe one or more forms of disturbance caused by a group of people. Civil disturbance is typically a symptom of, and a form of protest against, major socio-political problems;...
in the Val-d'Oise
Val-d'Oise
Val-d'Oise is a French department, created in 1968 after the split of the Seine-et-Oise department and located in the Île-de-France region. In local slang, it is known as "quatre-vingt quinze" or "neuf cinq"...
department in France began 26 November 2007, following the deaths of two teenagers (Moushin S., 15, and Larami S., 16), whose motorcycle
Motorcycle
A motorcycle is a single-track, two-wheeled motor vehicle. Motorcycles vary considerably depending on the task for which they are designed, such as long distance travel, navigating congested urban traffic, cruising, sport and racing, or off-road conditions.Motorcycles are one of the most...
collided with a police vehicle
Police car
A police car is a ground vehicle used by police, to assist with their duties in patrolling and responding to incidents. Typical uses of a police car include transportation for officers to reach the scene of an incident quickly, to transport criminal suspects, or to patrol an area, while providing a...
. The circumstances recalled those that precipitated the 2005 unrest
2005 civil unrest in France
The 2005 civil unrest in France of October and November was a series of riots by mostly Muslim North African youths in Paris and other French cities, involving mainly the burning of cars and public buildings at night starting on 27 October 2005 in Clichy-sous-Bois...
, which began in Clichy-sous-Bois
Clichy-sous-Bois
Clichy-sous-Bois is a commune in the eastern suburbs of Paris, France. The vast majority of its population is made up of Muslims of North African heritage . It is located from the centre of Paris.-Geography:The commune has an area of with of woods...
when two teenagers lost their lives as they evaded arrest while hiding in an electrical substation
Electrical substation
A substation is a part of an electrical generation, transmission, and distribution system. Substations transform voltage from high to low, or the reverse, or perform any of several other important functions...
.
Motorcycle accident
The unrest began when the minibikeMinibike
A minibike, sometimes called a mini moto or pocketbike, is a miniature motorcycle. Most minibikes use two-stroke engines and chain drive.- History :...
, on which the youths were riding, collided with a police vehicle
Police car
A police car is a ground vehicle used by police, to assist with their duties in patrolling and responding to incidents. Typical uses of a police car include transportation for officers to reach the scene of an incident quickly, to transport criminal suspects, or to patrol an area, while providing a...
. The families of the youths allege that police rammed
Ramming
In warfare, ramming is a technique that was used in air, sea and land combat. The term originated from battering ram, a siege weapon used to bring down fortifications by hitting it with the force of the ram's momentum...
the motorcycle and left the two teenagers for dead. The police deny this, saying that the motorcycle was stolen and was an unregistered
European vehicle registration plates
A European vehicle registration plate is a vehicle registration plate, a metal or plastic plate or plates attached to a motor vehicle or trailer for official identification purposes. The registration identifier is a numeric or alphanumeric code that uniquely identifies the vehicle within the...
vehicle not valid for street use, travelling at high speed, and that the youths were not wearing any protective headgear
Motorcycle helmet
A motorcycle helmet is a type of protective headgear used by motorcycle riders. The primary goal of a motorcycle helmet is motorcycle safety - to protect the rider's head during impact, thus preventing or reducing head injury or saving the rider's life...
- an account, according to French newspaper reports, confirmed by two eyewitnesses
Witness
A witness is someone who has firsthand knowledge about an event, or in the criminal justice systems usually a crime, through his or her senses and can help certify important considerations about the crime or event. A witness who has seen the event first hand is known as an eyewitness...
. A police investigation indicated that the motorcycle was in third (top) gear and that the police car was not going over 40 km/h (25 mph).
Riots and government response
Immediately after the incident, a hostile crowdCrowd
A crowd is a large and definable group of people, while "the crowd" is referred to as the so-called lower orders of people in general...
formed around the spot of the road accident. Divisional Commissioner Jean-François Illy, in charge of Sarcelles
Sarcelles
Sarcelles is a commune in the northern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the center of Paris. Sarcelles is a sub-prefecture of the Val-d'Oise department and the seat of the Arrondissement of Sarcelles....
area, had his car burned and was hit with iron bars as he was trying to defuse the situation, and was hospitalised with a fracture
Fracture
A fracture is the separation of an object or material into two, or more, pieces under the action of stress.The word fracture is often applied to bones of living creatures , or to crystals or crystalline materials, such as gemstones or metal...
d nose
Human nose
The visible part of the human nose is the protruding part of the face that bears the nostrils. The shape of the nose is determined by the ethmoid bone and the nasal septum, which consists mostly of cartilage and which separates the nostrils...
and rib
Rib
In vertebrate anatomy, ribs are the long curved bones which form the rib cage. In most vertebrates, ribs surround the chest, enabling the lungs to expand and thus facilitate breathing by expanding the chest cavity. They serve to protect the lungs, heart, and other internal organs of the thorax...
s.
However, the scene of the accident was kept untouched by the crowd .
Over 130 policemen were injured during night-time riot
Riot
A riot is a form of civil disorder characterized often by what is thought of as disorganized groups lashing out in a sudden and intense rash of violence against authority, property or people. While individuals may attempt to lead or control a riot, riots are thought to be typically chaotic and...
s and violent clashes, which began in Villiers-le-Bel
Villiers-le-Bel
Villiers-le-Bel is a commune in the French department of Val-d'Oise, in the northern suburbs of Paris. It is located from the center of Paris.-Transport:...
in the Val-d'Oise
Val-d'Oise
Val-d'Oise is a French department, created in 1968 after the split of the Seine-et-Oise department and located in the Île-de-France region. In local slang, it is known as "quatre-vingt quinze" or "neuf cinq"...
department. Over 70 cars
Automobile
An automobile, autocar, motor car or car is a wheeled motor vehicle used for transporting passengers, which also carries its own engine or motor...
and buildings were burned
Arson
Arson is the crime of intentionally or maliciously setting fire to structures or wildland areas. It may be distinguished from other causes such as spontaneous combustion and natural wildfires...
, including a library
Library
In a traditional sense, a library is a large collection of books, and can refer to the place in which the collection is housed. Today, the term can refer to any collection, including digital sources, resources, and services...
, two schools, a police station
Police station
A police station or station house is a building which serves to accommodate police officers and other members of staff. These buildings often contain offices and accommodation for personnel and vehicles, along with locker rooms, temporary holding cells and interview/interrogation rooms.- Facilities...
, and several shop
Retailing
Retail consists of the sale of physical goods or merchandise from a fixed location, such as a department store, boutique or kiosk, or by mail, in small or individual lots for direct consumption by the purchaser. Retailing may include subordinated services, such as delivery. Purchasers may be...
s. According to Interior Minister
Minister of the Interior (France)
The Minister of the Interior in France is one of the most important governmental cabinet positions, responsible for the following:* The general interior security of the country, with respect to criminal acts or natural catastrophes...
Michèle Alliot-Marie
Michèle Alliot-Marie
Michèle Jeanne Honorine Alliot-Marie, born 10 September 1946 and nicknamed MAM, is a French politician of the Union for a Popular Movement . A member of all but one right-wing governments of the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s, she was the first woman in France to hold the portfolios of Defense , the...
, several police officers were hit by shotgun
Shotgun
A shotgun is a firearm that is usually designed to be fired from the shoulder, which uses the energy of a fixed shell to fire a number of small spherical pellets called shot, or a solid projectile called a slug...
pellets. One officer received a serious shoulder wound when a firearm projectile pierced his body armour and another lost an eye.http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/11/27/europe/france.php including six seriously wounded officers "who notably were struck in the face and close to the eyes." One police officer said that thirty officers had been hit by shotgun pellets, and one hit by a "bullet used to kill large game." He likened the situation to a "guerilla war".
At least ten cars were burned and a fire broke out at a library in Reynerie, a suburb of the southern city of Toulouse
Toulouse
Toulouse is a city in the Haute-Garonne department in southwestern FranceIt lies on the banks of the River Garonne, 590 km away from Paris and half-way between the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea...
. Eight rioters were arrested by the police on the night of 27 November.
On 28 November, President Nicolas Sarkozy
Nicolas Sarkozy
Nicolas Sarkozy is the 23rd and current President of the French Republic and ex officio Co-Prince of Andorra. He assumed the office on 16 May 2007 after defeating the Socialist Party candidate Ségolène Royal 10 days earlier....
, who was in China during the events, met Prime Minister
Prime Minister of France
The Prime Minister of France in the Fifth Republic is the head of government and of the Council of Ministers of France. The head of state is the President of the French Republic...
François Fillon
François Fillon
François Charles Armand Fillon is the Prime Minister of France. He was appointed to that office by President Nicolas Sarkozy on 17 May 2007. He served initially until 13 November 2010 when he resigned from being prime minister before a planned cabinet reshuffle.On 14 November 2010, Sarkozy...
, Interior Minister Michèle Alliot-Marie
Michèle Alliot-Marie
Michèle Jeanne Honorine Alliot-Marie, born 10 September 1946 and nicknamed MAM, is a French politician of the Union for a Popular Movement . A member of all but one right-wing governments of the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s, she was the first woman in France to hold the portfolios of Defense , the...
, and Justice Minister
Minister of Justice (France)
The Ministry of Justice is controlled by the French Minister of Justice , a top-level cabinet position in the French government. The current Minister of Justice is Michel Mercier...
Rachida Dati
Rachida Dati
Rachida Dati is a French politician and Member of the European Parliament, representing Île-de-France. Before her election, she held the cabinet post of Keeper of the Seals, Minister of Justice. She was a spokesperson for Nicolas Sarkozy during the French presidential election of 2007...
for a security briefing. The authorities decided not to give detailed account of the riots, however, they announced that 39 people were arrested the night before.
On 29 November, French suburbs stayed relatively calm Wednesday night after 1,000 riot police were deployed. No report of injuries.
Aftermath
An investigation has been opened against the rioters. Another has been opened concerning the accident. On the 18th of February 2008, 33 people were arrested, suspected of being rioters.See also
2005 civil unrest in France
The 2005 civil unrest in France of October and November was a series of riots by mostly Muslim North African youths in Paris and other French cities, involving mainly the burning of cars and public buildings at night starting on 27 October 2005 in Clichy-sous-Bois...
2006 Brussels riots
Between the 23 and 29 September 2006, youths of mainly immigrant descent rioted in Brussels, causing the destruction of several shop windows and the burning of ten cars and part of a hospital...
2008 civil unrest in Greece
The 2008 Greek riots started on 6 December 2008, when Alexandros Grigoropoulos , a 15-year-old student, was killed by two policemen in Exarcheia district of central Athens...