Violence, looting and zombie walks

What a week. On Saturday night I shared my Metro home with some young looters, on Sunday morning I crunched through the broken glass in République and by Monday I was simmering with rage at the ill-informed commentary of those outside France who sought to blame immigration for the violence that swept the country over the weekend.

The ‘let’s blame the immigrants’ game is always tedious, but in this case it’s especially ignorant – what, France had no history of violent protest before immigration increased in the post-war period? Did the immigrants use a time machine to storm the Bastille, take to the barricades of the Paris Commune or topple the July Monarchy?

France has its problems, for sure, but they are homegrown French problems.

In fact, I would say that Saturday’s violence is actually two problems; on the margins of the peaceful demos, the casseurs turned up to smash, burn and fight with police. Taking advantage of the disorder, many largely apolitical teens and young adults from the banlieues turned up to begin looting.

Without the political violence, the looting would not have happened, but France still needs to address why so many young people – many of them of immigrant origin but born and raised in France as second-, third or even fourth-generation immigrants – are so disengaged that they regard violent social disorder as merely an excuse to go shopping without the inconvenience of paying.

But the violence itself stems from the casseurs, and they are a) French and b) not a new phenomenon. They have been an annoying feature of protests throughout my time in France, and they are very recognisable; young, mostly white and well equipped – hoods to hide their faces, masks and goggles to protect against tear gas and backpacks full of tools and kit to set fires. These are not protesters who get a bit carried away; their intention is to cause trouble, and they are experienced in the cat-and-mouse games with the riot police.

READ ALSO: ANALYSIS: Who are France’s ‘casseurs’ and why can’t police stop their violence?

They do, however, seem to be getting both more numerous and more extreme. It’s notable that on Saturday violence not only flared in the ‘usual suspect’ towns (Paris, Marseille, Lyon, Nantes) but also in smaller towns including Limoges, where the town hall was burned down. There don’t seem to be any simple explanations for why more people feel motivated to get involved in this kind of activity.

A man has been arrested over the Limoges fire – a 34-year-old local man who was already on a watchlist for violence at extreme left and environmental protests. According to French media, his 70-year-old father has also recently been convicted of violent protest and is apparently a believer in one of the maddest conspiracy theories on the internet – namely that the Linky electricity meters are being used by the government to spy on us.

For now, we wait to see what will happen this weekend . . . 

Talking France

We discuss Saturday’s violence in the latest episode of the Talking France podcast, as well as what we can expect over the next few weeks, and the weighty issue of French debt. But we also managed to lighten the mood a bit with a discussion of our favourite French food festivals and a lively debate on espelette pepper. Listen here.

Fright night

Growing up in the UK in the 1980s, Halloween was not really a thing (we celebrated Mischief Night instead, which is basically ‘all trick, no treat’) and annual rituals of kids demanding sugar and adults decorating their homes are very much an American import. It’s taken root in the UK now, though, especially among the younger generation, and is arriving in France too.

Although it’s not as big a thing here, you will certainly see Halloween decorations and merchandise in shops, and some small ghosts and demons walking the streets on October 31st.

One aspect of Halloween that the French have embraced with enthusiasm is the blood and gore – ‘zombie walks’ full of adults in horrifying costumes are becoming more and more popular.

This remains a big divide between British and American Halloween – in the UK your costume must above all be scary, in order to frighten away the souls of the dead who return on the night of the year when the veil thins between the living and the dead. I mean, it’s just basic science. This is the Halloween hill I will die on, clutching a foam rubber hand and a pint of fake blood.

READ ALSO: How do the French celebrate Halloween?

French discothèque

And because this has been quite an intense week, maybe we should finish with some music. I asked my French colleague Emma Albright to create a playlist of the songs that you really need to know to fit in on a French dance floor.

Let’s be very clear – these are not the coolest French songs. In fact, they’re mostly defiantly uncool but somehow get played at every French wedding, birthday or village fête, and entice every drunk French uncle onto the dance floor. Enjoy!

Inside France is editor Emma Pearson’s weekly look at some of the news, talking points and gossip in France that you might not have heard about. It’s published each Saturday and members can receive it directly to their inbox, by going to their newsletter preferences or adding their email to the sign-up box in this article.