Will Sarkozy's "Divisive Legislation" Lead to More Violence in France?
The Times is still adjusting badly to conservative candidate Nicolas Sarkozy's big win in the French presidential election over Socialist candidate Segolene Royal, judging by reporter Craig Smith's report from Paris on thuggish violence the day after Sarkozy's big win ("Hundreds Are Arrested in Post-Election Riots Across France").
Smith implied that furthur violence could be blamed on Sarkozy keeping his campaign promises.
"Violent protests against the election of Nicolas Sarkozy as president of France ended early Monday after hundreds of people were arrested, hundreds of cars gutted, and hundreds of windows smashed in several cities across France.
"Many people fear that the violence is just a taste of what is to come if Mr. Sarkozy makes good on his campaign promises to push through divisive legislation during his first 100 days in office."
Smith sounded much like his Sarkozy-bashing colleague Elaine Sciolinoin this sentence:
"While Mr. Sarkozy is most hated by minority youths in the country's poor housing projects on the outskirts of major cities over his law-and-order crackdowns and demeaning comments, most of the violence took place in city centers."
(Speaking of "demeaning comments," Sciolino manages to work in Sarkozy's famous description of hooligans as "scum" in virtually every story she writes about Sarkozy.)
