Crown Heights, France; Caracas, Bolivia
Rioting erupted last night in the "crime-ridden" French district of Villiers-le-Bel, located some 20 miles from Paris, after a police car collided with a stolen moped piloted by a local teenager, killing him and his passenger. What seemed initially to be an unfortunate accident—witnesses said the boys were travelling "'at very high speed' when it cut across the path of the police car"—ended in Yankel Rosenbaum territory, with rioting locals torching cars and hurling Molotov cocktails at police responding to the call. The BBC has more:
Police said 21 officers were injured in the rioting in the northern suburbs of Villiers-le-Bel and Arnouville. A prosecutor has ordered an internal police inquiry into possible manslaughter and "non-assistance to persons in danger". The violence - reminiscent of riots in 2005 - lasted for more than six hours.
[…]
A brother of one of the dead teenagers, Omar Sehhouli, said the rioting "was not violence but an expression of rage".
In Bolivia's political capital of Sucre, protesters rioted after allies of President Evo Morales, in a nod to the December 2 vote in Caracas, passed a preliminary bill through parliament that would undo constitutional limits on presidential re-election. It still must be approved by referendum, which a Morales spokesman said is forthcoming, though declined to give a specific date. From Bloomberg:
Two anti- government demonstrators and a police officer were killed in the past two days, Efe said, adding that calm was restored after the police yesterday withdrew from Sucre's streets.
The riots began Nov. 24, when members of the government- controlled assembly barred opposition delegates and passed the draft version without having read its content, Efe said. One protester remains in a coma and several others suffered serious injuries, Efe said, citing medical reports.
Earlier today, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon issued a statement expressing concern over the state of democracy and human rights in Bolivia.
