France’s interior minister faulted the Chinese organisers of the Olympic torch relay for its chaotic run through Paris, saying in an interview on Wednesday that French police merely provided technical support. "The Olympic rule is that the organising country is always responsible for preserving the flame," Interior Minister Michele Alliot-Marie said.
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/ 28 November 2007
French President Nicolas Sarkozy vowed on Wednesday that rioters who shot at police during two days of Paris suburban unrest would be severely punished, as police struggled to contain the violence. Back from a state visit to China, Sarkozy visited a police chief seriously injured in the country’s worst troubles since nationwide riots in 2005.
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/ 27 November 2007
Youths battled police for a second night in Paris suburbs, burning down government buildings and injuring more than 70 officers, forcing tighter security in the troubled towns. The riots lasted about six hours and continued into the early hours of Tuesday.