France Gets Fiery Reminder of Civil Unrest

Armed groups burned two buses last night in Paris, with authorities expressing concern today that violence could escalate in the lead up to the anniversary of France's suburban riots last year.

Ten attackers, some armed with handguns, invaded a bus in the eastern suburb of Bagnolet at around 1 am and forced the driver and passengers off the bus. The attackers drove the bus away and set fire to it.

The French defence minister, Michele Alliot-Marie, told a television news channel the vandals were guilty of "attempted murder", according to Reuters.

In another attack, up to ten youths forced a driver and passengers off a bus in the western suburb of Nanterre and then set it alight. There were no injuries.

Dominque Planchon, a spokesman for the SGP police union, drew a direct connection between the attack and last year's rioting. "We can imagine it has to do with the one-year anniversary of 2005 and naturally my colleagues fear the worst for 2006," he told Associated Press Television News.

In another incident, three attackers forced passengers off another bus in Athis-Mons, south of Paris, and threw a Molotov cocktail inside. The driver managed to put out the fire.

The latest attacks have threatened bus services in several neighbourhoods around Paris, as drivers refuse to enter some areas after dark. The transit authority in the Essonne region, south of Paris, on Wednesday suspended night bus services for security reasons following "multiple incidents," including a tear gas bomb.

This Friday marks the first anniversary of the deaths of two teenagers, of African descent, who were electrocuted in a power substation while hiding from police on the Clichy sous Bois estate, northeast of Paris.

Their deaths led to three weeks of rioting across France, in which more than 10,000 cars were set alight and 300 buildings attacked, in the worst civil unrest for 40 years.

The overnight bus attacks followed a march through Paris by hundreds of young demonstrators from the troubled areas. They marched to parliament to present a book of 20,000 complaints to politicians.

The group Aclefeu travelled through France to meet with young minorities and have them sign its "book of grievances".

"The context is still the same; nothing has changed," said Samir Mihi, the co-founder of Aclefeu. "So the situation is propitious for other events like last year."