Eruptions Of Violence

There has been an outbreak of violence in the 95th department of France, Val d'Oise, an area located north and northwest of Paris. Yahoo reports:

Two persons on a motorcycle were killed after colliding with a police car on Sunday late in the afternoon in Villiers-le-Bel (Val d'Oise), triggering an eruption of incidents, notably trash can fires and meetings of youths, a police source reported. (...)

The accident took place in the Tolinette urban development zone (ZAC), a sensitive neighborhood of Villiers-le-Bel about 20 kilometers north of Paris.

A resident of the neighborhood, reached by phone around 6:30 P.M. and wishing to remain anonymous said that "between 50 and 100 youths were burning trash cans after having torched two cars."

"There are no police. Four police cars came on the scene, but they were immediately attacked by the youths, and they left. Some of them are climbing electrical poles to break the bulbs and plunge the neighborhood into darkness," he added.

"The youths burned cars everywhere and no one can get into the area," indicated another resident, speaking over his cell phone before 7:00 P.M.

"I'm on the scene of the accident, rue du Pressoir. There are fires everywhere. The youths are setting fires in trash cans and cars. The police have not come back. As soon as a police car approaches, the youths charge, with anything they can get their hands on," he declared, adding that the police car and the motorcycle had not yet been removed. (...)

An updated report adds:

A commissioner, arriving on the scene in the afternoon, was beaten up. He is suffering from a serious facial trauma. The cause of this tension is an accident involving a police car and two youths ages 15 and 16, without helmets, on a motorcycle, who were instantly killed.

The police affirm that the youths refused to give the right of way. Several witnesses dispute this version and blame the police for leaving the scene too quickly. An investigation has been opened. In the meantime, two police stations, three garages and some shops have been attacked.

France is still marked by the three weeks of rioting that broke out after the deaths of two youths during a police chase in 2005.

Another update:

The socialist mayor of Villiers-le-Bel, Didier Vaillant, called for calm on Monday, insisting that "all the facts must be uncovered" on the deaths of two adolescents riding a mini-motor-bike, which struck a police car. (...)

As for material damage, it is "serious" with "the police station of Villiers-le-Bel burnt" and the one in Arnouville pillaged, as well as damage to city property.

"I demand an end to this violence, I ask all residents, especially the young, not to yield to anger (...) I call for a concerted action from men and women of good will so that Villiers-le-Bel may become calm once again, as quickly as possible. (...)