France to Deport Non-Citizen Rioters as Violence Wanes

France has announced it will deport foreigners arrested for rioting, whether they are in the country legally or not, according to a UPI story on Science Daily. At the same time, the violence has started to lessen in the wake of curfews in many towns and cities, reports Xinhua.

Meanwhile, the racial tensions and civil unrest seem to have revived anti-France sentiment and accusations of racism. In the France Rioting Starting to Slow Down blog post, Matt Z. posted the comment, "Most of the media are afraid to call it for what it is, the start of the intafada of Europe." In the France Riots Spread to 300 Towns, K. Bezies wrote, "I experienced discrimination for the first time in my life while living in France and I know how the rioters feel. I desperately wanted to work, having had a career in financial services back home ... I was blatantly told that jobs in France were for French people only."

And on this blog post, Ed M. states, "It is a sad commentary on society when problems like this arise anywhere. However, due to the nasty French attitude towards the US not only due to the Iraq War but in many other areas also, I read the news of their problems with a little bit of glee."

At another blog site, a San Franciscan in Paris talks about his experiences in St. Denis, the epicenter of the riots.

What are your thoughts? Click on the "comments" link at the bottom of this post to sound off.

In my poll on the issue, the gap has widened between voters who still plan to visit France and those who will avoid it now. Twice as many people said they will definitely not visit France as have voted that they will.

If you love France, but the recent riots have spooked you from visiting, be sure to consider traveling to some of the U.S. destinations in my article, Finding France in the Americas.

Tags: Paris riots, France riots, Muslim, France travel, News.