Death, grief and rage in a 'banlieue chaude'

The Paris suburb of Stains was the scene of the first death during rioting across France, when the retired car worker Jean-Jacques Le Chenadec was struck across the head as he tried to quell trouble by youths outside his apartment. Cahal Milmo talked to six inhabitants of this banlieue chaude about the story behind the news.

THE VICTIM

Building warden Jean-Pierre Moreau, 67, was with Le Chenadec when they were attacked by a single man who broke off from a rioting gang, leaving him needing a neck brace and his friend fatally injured.

"Those who did this were cowards. The kid approached all bent over, hiding his face. He looked like a 90-year-old but he knew what he meant to do.

"I don't care about his colour or his creed. He wanted to show his friends he was the big man, that he could be in control of something for a change.

"Well, look what happened. He deprived a family of their father, husband and brother. The killer has sullied the name of his family and that of his community. We don't know what drives this - the rioters talk about discrimination but the killer is as French as I am. If he wants to improve his world, did he think he could do it by punching an old man in the head?"

THE MOTHER

Natacha Larive, 34, a mother of two teenage sons and a businesswoman. Originally from Martinique, has lived in Stains since 1989.

"The first thing I did this morning was to pay my respects to the widow of Le Chenadec. I went to see her, to give my condolences and show solidarity.

"Many people assume the banlieues have no sense of community but it is not true. I am angry about what has been going on because of the nonsense of it - I understand the frustration of these kids but I have no sympathy whatsoever with their methods.

"Why do they burn the cars their friends' parents need to drive to work to find the money to put clothes on their children's backs?

"As a parent I want to see them succeed. Le Chenadec's widow told me she is leaving Stains to bury her husband and live in the Vosges mountains.

"I can understand why - she has paid a very heavy price. But I cannot do the same. Even if I could, to leave would be letting the hooligans win. It is saying there is nothing here. That is not true, there are decent people here."

THE SHOPKEEPER

Aiche Mohammed, 64, runs a store near where Le Chenadec was attacked. He came to Paris from Algeria in 1969.

"If you want to know why the youngsters are burning cars, look no further than the schools.

"When my son was 17 and getting ready for his leaving exam last year, his teacher told him not to bother buying any textbooks because there was no point - he wasn't going to have a career anyway.

"That is the nature of the banlieue [estate]. Young men are told they have no future. It has a knock-on effect for businesses and the places they serve.

"For the young men, it is a poor neighbourhood and they are not given any reason to believe they can make it any better, either for themselves or anyone else. So they burn things for excitement. It's not even political."

THE WORKER

Samir Bouhlel, 42, a builder, came to Stains from Tunisia in 1985.

"What do these kids mean when they say there is no work? Rubbish. Of course there is work, but they don't want to do it - you offer building site work and they say it is too hard.

"They want an easy job in an office or a warehouse. I tell them this is the reality - you live in the banlieue, you have black or Arab parents, no one is going to give you a nice job in an office.

"If you want to get on, you work and create your own wealth. That is the only way to get respect.

"But instead we get this rage. They are acting without reason: there is no reason to setting light to a bus that your dad or cousin uses to get to work.

"I suspect the rioters want to be normal people but the great failure of France is they don't know how."

THE GANG MEMBER

Mohammed Berfan, 16, has lived in Stains all his life. He claims to have seen friends involved in car burnings.

"The keufs [police] give us such a hard time. If you get caught in an ID check, you could be there for two hours while they ask you where you come from. I come from here, I'm French, but that doesn't count because my parents are Algerian.

"Sure I have friends who took part. It's a sort of competitive thing, each neighbourhood shows what it can do. A bus is the best thing to get, that is maximum points if you get it on fire.

"It was not right what happened to the man who got killed here but this is our life. I'm still at school but I'm not sure how much longer I'll bother.

"Sarko [Interior Minister Sarkozy] must resign. Until he does, this will carry on. But I don't think things will get better - there will be a bit of calm, then a riot will bring the media and politicians. Then they disappear, until the next time."

- INDEPENDENT