Bastille Day France 2009

July 14th every year marks Bastille day for France.However this year14 July 2009 marks a new turn after a series of riots and protests resulting in the burning of 317 cars and 13 police injured.The genesis of the riots is being traced to the French town of Firminy where protesters took to the streets following the death of Mohamed Benmouna, a local supermarket cashier who was taken from his police cell in a coma and later died in hospital in queer circumstances .

It so happens that Amnesty international has previously issued a damning report on Police Brutality in France which basically means according to the adage "where there is smoke there could be fire" something is wrong here .

I wonder if UN Rapporteur Philip Alston should visit France and issue a damning report to the current French President Nicolas Sarkozy and the French Police Commisioner/ Comisar or the Inspecteur General 'Inspecteur général '. Unfortunately it seems that when international bodies deal with African Affairs often double standards are applied.I believe there are many atrocities that have been committed under the guise of war against terror yet you will not hear of a"Waki Envelope" or ICC investigation of such crimes against humanity yet many Africans express full confidence in such institutions. Human Justice is frail and subject to certain interests.

Bastille day is celebrated in France each year on July 14 to mark the storming of the Bastille fortress prison on the same day in 1789( see wikipedia stub on Bastille Day)The Bastille was a prison and a symbol of the absolute and arbitrary power of Louis the 16th's Ancient Regime. By capturing this symbol, the people signaled that the Monarch's power was no longer absolute: power should be based and emanate from the people. It is this act that led to fundamental doctrine in constitutional law to wit: the principle of separation of powers.