Why do the French celebrate by burning cars?

“Paris Erupts in Celebrations, Riots After PSG Wins Champions League” (WSJ):

Nationwide, two people died and more than 190 were injured, according to a provisional tally from the French interior ministry. More than 260 cars were burned and more than 500 people were detained.

Sporadic riots aren’t uncommon in France after major sports events, or even on New Year’s Eve. Officials for a time published a yearly tally of how many cars were burned during New Year’s riots, until they decided that the public numbers were encouraging more burnings.

Even in the mostly-peaceful BLM protests here in the U.S. I don’t think that 260 cars were burned (though maybe our tireless investigative journalists couldn’t be troubled to tally up the destruction?). Why are the French so passionate about torching cars?

From the New York Post:

8 thoughts on “Why do the French celebrate by burning cars?

  1. Maybe some Sorotonin could help decipher the reason?

    https://www.france24.com/en/20190104-french-literary-rebel-michel-houellebecq-releases-novel-serotonin-yellow-vest-protests

    BTW, since you’re a COVID fan, here a description of it by Houellebecq, although something tells me you’ve already seen it:

    > He described COVID-19 as a “banal virus” with “no redeeming qualities… It’s not even sexually transmitted.”

    https://www.france24.com/en/20200504-world-will-be-same-but-worse-after-banal-virus-says-houellebecq

  2. LOL – because we don’t do that kind of stuff here in the US… e.g. Detroit Tigers 1984 World Series victory? Maybe we showed the French how to properly celebrate a win!

  3. The French took a different approach to administering their colonies than the English and Spanish empires. French overseas territories are administered as departments of France. Martinique is considered as French as Ile de la Cite in Paris, and the denizens thereof equally French. A curious notion which seems to have, ah…backfired.

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