"We hate France and France hates us"

Such reads the headline of a Guardian article that gives voice to several participants in recent rioting. Sylla, identified only by this name, had this to say:

"We burn because it's the only way to make ourselves heard, because it's solidarity with the rest of the non-citizens in this country, with this whole underclass."

Hard to argue with that.

I don't claim to be at all knowledgeable about European affairs, but I know enough to be aware that France has a legendarily weak conception of certain political freedoms – bear witness to the "secularity" laws in effect in public schools.

Well, it’s getting worse – much worse. French authorities have now resorted to detaining bloggers - good thing I’m not North African. Even more chillingly, Interior Minister Nicolas Sarkozy dropped this payload:

"I have asked the prefects to deport them from our national territory without delay, including those who have a residency visa," he said. (emphasis added)

According to the article, three-fourths of the French public supports the state of emergency, under which "Police are entitled to carry out house searches and ban public meetings" – then again, we might be on the cusp of a new republic before any of this matters.

Anyone have any information on whether this is spreading to other sectors of society – students, workers, etc.?