Watching TV last night it struck me that the one thing at the core of CNN reporting was that the ‘rioters’ in France were 'angry'. The link to the two accidental deaths that prompted the riots and unemployment rates leave the average viewer with a distinct message: the situation in France is hopeless for many and many immigrants are thus rightfully ‘angry’. Very little attempts in the media have been made to explain that:

(1) In very few – if any – other places in the western world have certain, often far worse, economic conditions spawned such devastating violence and destruction for such a pro-longed period of time;

(2) That setting entire bus fleets and daycare centers on fire may be, just maybe, a fairly disproportional response to not having a job;

(3) That these admittedly miserable circumstances exist in spite of years of accommodation, social spending and other help targeted at defusing the potential time bomb that has now exploded;

(4) And that consequently solutions from the old book of the well-meaning government possibly will have very little effect on the chaos we are now witnessing.

Very little analysis of this nature and the reason is simple: it requires the acknowledgement that a war is going on, that decades of multiculturalist accommodation have failed and that consequently a new approach is urgently needed. That also explains why we hear very little from the French leadership, most notably the man who is usually such a skilful master in rallying the republic behind him: Jacques Chirac. However today he vowed strength and resolve, but without specifying what that resolve actually will consist of.

It may be speculation on my part, but it appears that the French leadership is divided with Prime-Minister De Villepin willing to go back to the more inclusive solution of creating a framework within which French Muslim and other immigrant communities can thrive, whereas Interior Minister Sarkozy wants to clean up the mess first, preferably with an iron hand. Given the nature of the violence – the well-organized nature also being something that is played down by the media – the Sarkozy road is the only one that makes sense now. Nothing can be accomplished without re-establishing order in the French streets, which are suffering from a complete breakdown of law-and-order, note this news from the provincial town of St. Etienne:

Signs of a fresh wave of violence emerged on Sunday evening when youths seized a bus in Saint-Etienne, in southern France, ordering passengers to get off and then torching the vehicle. The driver and one passenger were hurt, officials said.

Stop counting in days. We’re going into week three.

UPDATE I: Paul Belien of the Brussel's Journal argues that it isn't anger, but contempt. He's right. Deep contempt bordering on hatred.

UPDATE II: George Adair weighs in on this post with some comments and additions.