Les Evenements de Novembre ...reprise ?

Ville d’Epinay-sur-Seine, the gateway to Paris, is twinned with Oberursel in Germany, South TyneSide in the UK , Alcobendas in Spain(1986). It also enjoys special relations with Ramallah in Palestine and Mevasseret Zion in Israel.

Nearly 12 months ago it experienced three weeks of rioting which swept through this area which is heavily populated with immigrants.

Early this morning a policeman was rushed to hospital after being hit in the face with a stone after responding to a report about a robbery. A Police report said the officer and a colleague fell into an ambush and were surrounded by about 30 youths, some wearing masks. The youths blocked the police vehicle with their cars and sprayed the officers with tear gas ubtil they fled when the gendarmes fired psitols into the air..

Tension has been building in Orgement and in the south of Paris and at Tarterets, where anti-police riots occurred last month.

At that time Interior Minister Nicolas Sarkozy, always anxious to stir the merde ,and a Presidential wannabe claimed anti-riot police at Tartarets had been ambushed, but a later investigation showed that the violence had not been premeditated.

The attacks on the Police were condemned by the Police Unions, and Sarkozy claimed the perpetrators of the assault would be arrested " one by one ".

Sarkozy also criticised the weak judiciary and claimed some judges of not having "the courage" to jail young offenders, triggering a public row. President Jacques Chirac raised a vote of confidence in the judiciary although opinion polls show that the French public shares Mr Sarkozy's view of the judges.

Opposition MP's have demanded but not received answers from Mr Sarkozy about an abortive raid in Western Paris at run down Les Mureuaux, on October 4th when Police and CGS swooped before dawn, raided the wrong apartment in pursuit of four suspects in an attack on policemen the previous Sunday that left seven policemen injured.

The 100 strong raid was accompanied by a fleet of journalists and cameramen. The German Press Agency later reported that Christian de Lavernee the police chief of the departement of Yvelines, said that to proper procedure were carried out and that that only one family's apartment was mistakenly raided, and that police had apologized for the error.