For the young men of Le Blanc-Mesnil and hundreds in other impoverished suburbs, one man represents all they find abhorrent in the French government: Interior Minister Nicolas Sarkozy, who has been considered the country’s leading contender in the 2007 presidential elections. Last month, he recommended waging a "war without mercy" against criminals and other troublemakers in the poor areas.
對於這些Le Blanc-Mesnil和數百位其他貧窮郊區的年輕人來說，一個人象徵著所有在法國政府中他們所憎恨的人：內政部長尼可拉斯‧薩科奇，已被視為該國2007年總統大選領先的角逐者。上個月，他建議對犯罪者以及該貧區其他麻煩製造者進行「決不寬待的戰爭」。
A week later, two Muslim teenagers from the northern suburb of Clichy-sous-Bois were electrocuted in a power substation where they were hiding from police who they believed were chasing them. French officials have said police were not pursuing the youths. Their deaths triggered the violence that quickly spread, particularly when Sarkozy called the perpetrators of the violence "scum" and "thugs."
一週後，兩個穆斯林來自Clichy-sous-Bois北郊區的青少年，以為被警方追捕，而在藏匿的變電所被電死。法國官員說警方不是在追捕這兩個青少年。他們的死觸發了快速蔓延的暴力行動，尤其是在薩科奇宣稱這些暴力行動的犯罪者為「人渣」和「惡棍」時。
"I’m a citizen of France, but I don’t count," said an athletic 28-year-old who identified himself only as Abdel. With his trim black beard and short hair gelled into shiny black wavelets, Abdel hovered on the edge of the circle surrounding the youths who admitted to their involvement in the violence.
「我是一個法國公民，但我不被這樣看待」一位只具名Abdel健壯的28歲男子說著。有著整齊的黑色山羊鬍，和髮膠抹成光亮的黑色小波浪的短髮，Abdel在環繞承認參加暴力行動的青少年的人群周圍徘徊著。
"They call us maggots," added a thin teenager hunched inside a thin polyester windbreaker that offered little protection from the damp chill of a gray fall afternoon.
「他們說我們是蛆」一位清瘦的青少年補充道，蜷曲在單薄的聚酯防風外套中，難抵這個灰黯秋天下午的濕冷。
Beyond their hatred of Sarkozy, the youths involved in the rampages and their companions offer a disparate list of grievances against the government.
除了對薩科奇的憎恨，參加暴動的年輕人和其同伴說出一串對政府的異議憤恨。
Abdel, echoing the anger of many of the youths, said he resented the French government’s efforts to thrust Muslim leaders into the role of mediators between the police and the violent demonstrators.
Abdel響應這些許多年輕人的的憤怒，說他不爽法國政府想辦法硬塞給回教領袖們一個警方與暴力示威者之間的調停者角色。
"This has nothing to do with religion," he said. "But non-Muslims are afraid of people like me with a beard. I look suspicious to them. Discrimination is all around us. We live it every day. It’s become a habit. It’s in the air."
「這無關宗教」他說，「但是非穆斯林人害怕像我這種有山羊鬍的人，我在他們眼裡看來可疑。歧視一直在我們週遭，每天活在這樣的情況。已經是一種習慣，充斥在空氣中。」
He continued: "I grew
up in France, yet I speak of God and religion. I have a double culture. I belong to both. We should stop the labeling."
他繼續說著：「我在法國長大，雖然我談神和宗教。我有雙重文化，同屬兩者。我們應該遏止標籤化。」
Rezzoug, the caretaker, said he has seen local youths struggle with deep personal conflicts caused by their dual cultures. "They go to the mosque and pray," he said. "But this is France, so they also drink and party."
管理員瑞蘇格說，他看著當地青少年在雙重文化引起的個人深層衝突中掙扎。「他們到清真寺祈禱」他說，「但這裡是法國，所以他們也喝酒和上派對。」
"They also are out to prove to their parents and brothers and uncles they can’t take it any more," he said. "They’re burning the places where they play, where they sit -- they’re burning their own playpens."
「他們也跑出去，向父母兄長證明他們再也管不住他們了；」他說，「他們放火燒玩耍的地方，坐著的地方－他們正燒著自己的嬰兒床。」
Le Blanc-Mesnil is not a community where youths aspire to spend their lives. There is none of the glamour that most of the world associates with Paris, just a 25-minute drive or train ride away. It is an industrial city of boxy apartment complexes and strip malls. In a nation where unemployment has hovered at 10 percent this year, the rates are here four to five times as high among people under 25.
Le Blanc-Mesnil不是青少年所嚮往待一輩子的社區。沒有世上與巴黎最有關係的魅力，有的只是花25分鐘開車或坐火車的距離而已。這是一個有著四四方方公集中式公寓建築和公路旁商業區的工業都市。這國家今年失業率盤旋在10﹪，此地25歲以下人口失業率高達國家的四五倍。
"We feel rejected, compared to the kids who live in better neighborhoods," said Nasim, a chunky 16-year-old with braces and acne. "Everything here is broken down and abando
ned. There’s no place for the little kids to go."
「相較於那些住在較高級住區的孩子們而言，我們覺得被遺棄了。」一個有粉刺帶著牙齒矯正器的矮矮胖胖的16歲孩子，內辛這麼說，「這裡每樣東西都是故障廢棄的，小孩沒地方可去。」
As on most Saturday afternoons, there was little for Nasim or his friends to do. They sauntered among the older youths who spent the late afternoon hanging out on street corners or the sidewalks in front of coffee shops.
好比說在大部分的週六下午，內辛或他朋友沒什麼事好做。他們在年紀比較大的青少年周圍閒逛，這些孩子在傍晚時在街角或是咖啡座前的人行道閒晃。
Several of the older youths fingered pockets bulging with plastic packets of hashish for sale or trade. As they read local newspaper accounts of their previous night’s
exploits, they began discussing Saturday night’s plans with more of an air of boredom than a commitment to a cause.
較大的幾個孩子手伸進口袋去摸裝滿出售交易用的哈希什（註：一種大麻做成的麻醉藥／毒品）小袋子。當他們讀當地報紙對其前晚偉大事蹟的報導時，開始討論這個週六晚上的計劃，充其量是因為窮極無聊的氛圍，而非實現犯罪動機。
"We don’t have the American dream here," said Rezzoug, as he surveyed the clusters of young men. "We don’t even have the French dream here."
「在這裡，我們沒有美國夢。」當他環視一群年輕人時，瑞蘇格說，「在這裡，我們甚至連法國夢都沒有。」
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1.中文新聞短介
http://news.yam.com/bcc/international/200511/20051106565591.html
2.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/11/05/AR2005110501515.html?referrer=email&referrer=email
