NBC: Lack of “Government Affirmative Action Programs” Behind Rioting in France

ABC, CBS and NBC all ran stories Tuesday night explaining the “anger” behind the rioting in France by Muslim “youths,” but on the NBC Nightly News reporter Jim Maceda went so far as to specifically complain about how “immigrants are left to fend for themselves, with no government affirmative action programs.” Maceda did add how “even worse, the French economy is stagnant, with few new jobs being created," but he moved on to other comments about the rioting without anything more about the role of high taxes and regulation in causing that “stagnant” economy. (A lengthier transcript follows.)

The start of Jim Maceda November 8 NBC Nightly News story from France:

“After 12 days of rage, the French government today called a state of emergency, paving the way for curfews in dozens of hot spots, including here in Evreux, west of Paris. Evreux is really two towns, one ancient, prosperous, and mostly white; the other poor, derelict, Arab and African families first migrated here in the 1960s to find work. The government built block after block of low-cost housing and Evreux was to be a showcase of peaceful, multi-cultural living.

“But last Saturday, the immigrant part of town exploded. Angry youth went on a rampage, burning the local pharmacy, the bakery, then the shopping center, before attacking this police station. Several policemen were hospitalized. Mounir [sp a guess] is 27 a French Arab born and raised in Evreux. He says he didn't riot, but wasn't surprised either. 'If you're from here and you're Arab, no one will hire you,' he says. 'They think you're a criminal.' Mounir lives hand-to-mouth. Like 40 percent of French Arabs here, he can't find work despite his technical diploma. Many say that Evreux became a microcosm for all that went wrong with France's model of integration. The idea was to treat all French citizens equally, blind to color and creed, but that only worked on paper. In fact, immigrants are left to fend for themselves, with no government affirmative action programs. Even worse, the French economy is stagnant, with few new jobs being created....”