French interior minister preparing deportations as riots spread to Lyon News
French interior minister preparing deportations as riots spread to Lyon

[JURIST] Despite curfews and added security measures [JURIST report] French youths continued to riot in the streets Saturday night. Central Paris was calm, but for the first time since rioting by disaffected Arab and African immigrant youth began 17 nights ago it has spread to another major city, Lyon [AP report]. Cars and a nursery school were set ablaze as police fired tear gas to disperse the crowds. City authorities have banned [AFP report] public meetings in Lyon for Sunday afternoon in an attempt to head off further clashes. Saturday’s rioting came on the heels of a controversial decision by French Interior Minister Nicolas Sarkozy [official profile, in French] ordering all foreigners convicted of taking part in the rioting to be expelled [JURIST report], even if they are not in France illegally. International human rights groups and others have denounced [JURIST report] the decision as being illegal and discriminatory. Reuters has more.