Dominique Strauss-Kahn, France’s former Socialist finance minister, on Monday blamed “clumsiness and provocation” by the centre-right government for aggravating the rioting in poor suburbs.
But he stopped short of calling for the resignation of government ministers and stressed the need for “firmness and fairness” in any response to the crisis, mirroring the cautious line taken by most Socialist party leaders. Senior Socialist party figures have been hesitant to score political points over the crisis, as they recognise the seriousness of the situation and realise former left-wing governments are as much to blame for the roots of the problem.
