From The Scotsman, Dec. 26:

French police said about 100 vehicles were burned overnight, which marked an average weekend tally for urban violence and did not signify a flare-up of violence after riots last month.

Some French regions have banned retail sales of petrol during the Christmas holidays to prevent a recurrence of violence after three weeks of riots in which youths used home-made bombs and set fire to cars and buildings.

Long before the unrest, teenagers in poorer neighbourhoods of large French cities began the custom of celebrating New Year's Eve by torching hundreds of cars.

National Police spokeswoman Catherine Casteran said on Sunday that about 100 cars were reported burned overnight on Christmas Eve, which was equivalent to "an ordinary weekend" and the number of vehicles burned last Christmas.

Meanwhile, the hardline Sarkozy goes all warm and fuzzy. From IslamOnline, Dec. 19:

France's Interior Minister Nicolas Sarkozy said on Sunday, December 18, that the recent riots in Paris suburbs had nothing to do with Islam.

"Let's not mix Islam, which is a religion of peace, with the actions of thugs," Sarkozy said in an interview with Al-Jazeera, reported Agence France-Presse (AFP).

"Islam has nothing to do with the actions of criminals, assassins and thugs".

Nearly two weeks of rioting in the country's high-immigration suburbs left more than 6,000 cars burned, public and private property destroyed, tens of policemen injured and one civilian killed.

More than 1,500 people -- mainly Arab and black youngsters -- have been detained.

See our last post on France.