The City of Lights... Er, Fires

Has anyone been paying attention to over a week of rioting in Paris?

France's interior minister has warned rioters of stiff jail sentences for arson after a ninth night of violence in African and Arab communities.

Nicolas Sarkozy said setting cars on fire could "cost dear in terms of sentences" after a night which saw nearly 900 vehicles damaged.

He said the government was "unanimous about standing firm" against violence.

Meanwhile hundreds of people joined marches in Paris suburbs to protest against the violence.

I'm sorry to be the one to say it, but the solution to rioting isn't threats of imprisonment, it's shooting at rioters. France has taken tougher measures against radical immigrants than other nations, and that's to be commended, but the fact that this kind of thing could happen for nine days is somewhat ridiculous.

It will be interesting to see how this plays out. If this doesn't show Europeans that they have a problem with radical foreign immigrants, nothing will.