The riots in France continue. Is it me, or is it very strange that there is a national strategy on what is essentially a local law enforcement problem, albeit a common one.

I still think some of the French politicians are playing a “the worse, the better” game with the rioters, to wit, the worse the riots, the more the anti-immigration sentiment, which bodes well for le Pen’s party. Or it could be that the French government simply lacks the ability to end the riots.

The riots continue, and seem to escalate a tad.. I am a believer that this underclass was created by perverse incentives of the French welfare system, who have nothing to lose by indulging in Jane Galt “breaking stuff is fun” meme.

That being said though, are the French actually trying to stop the rioting? Their efforts have been somewhat subtle. It seems like there’s something larger afoot here.

We enter day 11 of the European intifada.

So now the French cops found a Molotov Cocktail factory and rioters are shooting at cops and attacking firemen. They seem to be doing a successful job of ghettoizing (or creating their own autonomous areas) themselves. I suppose the French will eventually call in the military once this whole thing starts to lose steam and then call it a triumph of civilization.

One of the commenters over at the Belmont Club observed:

But are letting the burnings and insurrection go on so as to give the Muslims plenty of rope to hang themselves. Perhaps a decision exists within the French government that Muslim labor is not needed when less criminally-inclined, less subversive alternatives exist in Latin America, India, Asia……and that they have decided Islam cannot assimilate and the riots are a good way of convincing the public of that fact..

Which is an interesting thought. Not practical, and a bit too clever. It also ignores the (I think) obvious observation that when you pay people to stay out of the economy you create an underclass and breed resentment. I would imagine that would happen with most immigrant groups.

Also from Belmont

Car burning is spectacular, serious enough to get attention yet — and this is the vital point — not serious enough to provoke lethal force

which is probably true. That means these things can go on forever and probably continue for another week or two. All of this points to large gains for le Pen’s far right party whenever their next election happens.