People milling around the scorched remains of the burnt-out Renault car dealership in Aulnay-sous-Bois yesterday agreed on two things: the riots in Paris suburbs had been badly mishandled by the government and were now its biggest challenge.

As criticism for his handling of the crisis increased across the political spectrum, Dominique de Villepin, prime minister, yesterday adopted a tougher tone, blaming gangs of criminals and drug dealers for instigating the rioting.