Top > World > 2005 > November > 2005-11-15

French face societal revolution

As the nationwide violence that has racked France for two weeks begins to abate, the country`s leaders and citizens find themselves facing tough questions about the fundamental values that define the French dream: liberty, equality, and fraternity. In the face of dramatic evidence that so many of France`s ethnic minority citizens and recent immigrants feel that their society has betrayed its promises, one of the pillars supporting France`s vision of itself is shaking.

France is proud of its ideals and the way it thought it was offering them to newcomers. French politicians may not find it easy to acknowledge how far the country has fallen short of its goals, some immigration experts predict, though Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin acknowledged last week to parliament that, "the effectiveness of our integration model is in question."

Paris remained relatively quiet over the weekend, with authorities implementing a state-of-emergency ban on meetings. Lyon and other cities were ensconced in the ongoing rioting widely seen to be protesting inequalities suffered by France`s immigrant population. Nationwide, fewer than 400 vehicles burned, down from highs of more than 1,000 last week.