Stay Away From the RER

On November 27, the following article appeared in Novopress:

Not a day goes by without line B of the RER (Regional Express Rail of the Paris region) being the scene of at least one crime.

This extremely grave observation was made by UNSA-Transports, whose representative, Laurent Gallois, declared: "For the past month, the conductors have been telling us that the attacks are becoming more and more violent."

Note: UNSA is a union that represents several sectors of the labor force, among them agriculture, banking, tourism and public transportation.

A great number of the victims are tourists, on their way to Roissy Airport. They are sure to have fond memories of Nicolas Sarkozy's France.

The accounts are innumerable and often shocking, and tell of beatings and floggings, such as one female traveler who was repeatedly kicked and punched by five persons on November 13, just for her handbag.

The scenario of these attacks is often like a horror film: young thugs from ethnic gangs, equipped with keys to the folding doors between the cars, trap and assault the victim "behind closed doors".

In dealing with this growing daily barbarity, the declared intentions of Sarkozy's government have led to no concrete result, and the gangs continue to act with total impunity.

Note: I've added Anne-Lorraine Schmitt to the labels below as a reminder that she was riding line D of the RER in November 2007 when she found herself alone in a car with a Turk armed with a knife. Her brutal murder briefly led to the hope that things would change and that there would be a crack-down on crime. Wishful thinking...