France in the autumn of 2005. Great Britain in the summer of 2011. Is history simply repeating itself? Today, the French media are asking why “England is burning”, just as the Anglo-Saxon press posed the question of Paris six years ago. Initially at least, the similarities do appear to be striking.
In both cases the outburst of violence is linked to the death of young people resulting – indirectly or directly – from a police blunder. In both cases the socioeconomic interpretations for the eruption rapidly prevailed over any ethnic or religious ones. In both cases the police, initially caught by surprise by violent and seemingly spontaneous action, were quickly able to reorganise and then rapidly regain control of the situation.
Yet the many differences that exist between French and British riots are much more significant, especially given a greatly changed global context between 2005 and today. In France the riots mostly took place in poor suburbs surrounding Paris and a few other big cities. Except in one significant incident, in the plush seventh arrondissement, rioters were never able to get into affluent neighbourhoods. After all, Baron Haussmann, the city planner of Emperor Napoleon III, created large avenues to avoid the repetition of previous revolutionary days in a naturally riotous Paris. This is clearly not the case in England.