French rioters rage through Paris

[Pastor Dale Morgan]

Perilous Times

French rioters rage through Paris

The Associated Press
Wednesday, October 20, 2010; 4:03 AM

PARIS -- Rioters are rampaging through a Paris suburb, breaking shop windows and hurling stones at police.

Youths wearing hoods and scarves on their faces are darting through the streets of Nanterre near a high school that has seen clashes in recent days. Riot police are deployed around the area, still littered with broken glass and burned tires from past clashes.

The violence is on the margins of nationwide strikes and protests over the government's plan to raise the retirement age.

The interior minister threatened Wednesday to send in paramilitary police to stop rioting on the fringes of protests.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.

PARIS (AP) - French authorities have forced some fuel depots to reopen to ensure gasoline supplies disrupted by nationwide strikes over a bill to raise the retirement age to 62.

Interior Minister Brice Hortefeux has threatened to send in paramilitary police to stop rioters who torched cars, trashed stores and injured police and others on the fringes of nationwide protests.

He said more than 1,400 people have been detained for such violence over the past week.

Hortefeux said Wednesday that overnight three fuel depots in western France had been forced open "without incident."

Workers who say the pension reform threatens hard-earned social protections have been blocking depots for days, leaving nearly a third of the country's gas stations dry Tuesday.