Wake-up call for France

The riots have come as a shock, not only to the French, but to all of us around the world who had thought of France as a model of liberalism and moderation. The present crisis should be taken as an indication that even in societies that appear functional and prosperous on the surface there are many resentments and dysfunctions hidden beneath.

The riots must serve as a wake-up call for France. They have revealed the country's sordid under-belly of unemployment and alienation, specially among the mainly Muslim immigrant population from North Africa. Indeed, the riots bring into sharp focus the two main problems that the country faces at present -- the society's inability to assimilate its large immigrant population adequately, and the economy's inability to create sufficient employment opportunities.

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The disenchantment of the immigrant population who are discriminated against and marginalised, and face harassment from the authorities, is an issue that the French must deal with seriously. By not integrating the second generation of immigrants from North Africa into the society, the French are sitting on a ticking time bomb, and although simple solutions to this complex problem are not easy to come by, it is clear that the issue cannot be solved by the approach taken so far.

No less troublesome is France's economic model which has failed to create jobs even as it protects existing ones. The victims of France's stringent labour policies are the young under-class who find it virtually impossible to find a job. France must give serious thought to reforming its economic model to make it not only competitive in today's world, but also generating sufficient new jobs for the rising number of educated unemployed. The riots make clear that young people would prefer jobs to government hand-outs.

However, while we are sympathetic to the plight of France's immigrant community, it should be understood that none of these grievances justifies the destruction and rioting of the past two weeks. The rule of law must be upheld, and we cannot accept the widespread burning of cars or violent attacks on the authorities that have marked the last fortnight.

The first order of the day in France is to restore order, but this can only be accomplished if the legitimate grievances of the rioters are listened to.