POSITIVE NEWS FROM FRANCE: THIS TIME, ONLY 1,137 CARS TORCHED ON NEW YEAR'S EVE.

Positive trend in France: the number of cars torched on New Year's Eve is only 1,137 this time round. Or, ten down from last year. Those who claim this has something to do with the deployment of a record number of 45,000 police and riot forces and 50,000 firefighters are either incurable pessimists or else RACISTS, for surely the downward trend hints at the greater influence of muslim moderates among France's famous "youths".





France's Interior Minister Brice Hortefeux is certainly not a racist:

“Globalement, nous sommes soulagés. Il n’y a pas eu d’accidents graves, et il y a une rupture de la tendance à la hausse du nombre de voitures brûlées, déclare au Monde le ministre de l’intérieur Brice Hortefeux. La baisse est même très sensible dans l’agglomération parisienne.”

Translation:

"Taking it all together, we are relieved. There have been no grave accidents, and the rising trend of cars torched has been curbed [declared Interior Minister Brice Hortefeux to Le Monde newspaper]. The downward trend is even very discernible in the Parisian region."

A li'l movie from Chalon/Saone:

Incendie véhicules au Stade 01/01/2010, 0h05 Chalon/Saône
door infos-chalon

In Strasbourg the rightwing UMP opposition party is nitpicking, as per usual:

"Alors que les autorités parlaient d'une Saint-Sylvestre plutôt calme, avec 61 voitures incendiées dans la Communauté Urbaine, dont 55 à Strasbourg, l'opposition municipale UMP-Nouveau Centre et indépendants évoque "95 véhicules brûlés, sans compter les feux par propagation, 32 feux de poubelles et 25 feux d'habitations."

Translation:

"While the authorities talked of a New Year's Eve rather calm, with 61 cars burned in the greater metropolitan area, with 55 in Strasbourg, the opposition of UMP-New Center and independents claim that 95 cars were torched, without counting the fires resulting from spreadouts, 32 burned waste bins and 25 fires in houses."

And... what about the indigenous Fwenchmen partying into 2010? Le Figaro writes that this year, there were 200,000 people celebrating New Year's Eve on the Champs Elysées, vs. 500,000 the year before: une nuit de la Saint-Sylvestre calme. You wonder where these 300,000 missing ones partied this time. Stayed at home perhaps, fearing for CO2 pollution from their fireworks?







This is but a small blog, but in years to come... do not say I haven't warned.

MFBB.