Anti-French Riot Erupts in Chad

“Whites – child kidnappers”

http://www.wvwnews.net/story.php?id=2235

http://www.wvwnews.net/story.php?id=2239

Several thousand students have held violent anti-French protests in Chad.

Police dispersed demonstrators with tear gas in the capital, N’Djamena, after cars belonging to white foreigners and diplomats were attacked.

The protesters were demanding that six French aid workers charged with child kidnapping be tried in Chad.

Meanwhile, a judge in Chad rejected a request by defence lawyers seeking the release pending the trial of the six French and three Chadians still held.

If found guilty, the charity workers face several years with hard labour in a Chadian prison.

They said they believed they were rescuing Darfur war orphans, but parents of many of the 103 children almost flown to France told the BBC they were promised they would be educated locally, and never gave permission for them to leave the country….Crowds of students began gathering in the centre of N’Djamena shortly after 0730 hours local time.

…Before long, what was designed to be a peaceful protest, got out of hand, the BBC’s Stephanie Hancock in the capital says.

The demonstrators began attacking white foreigners in their cars, hurling stones and shouting, “Whites – child kidnappers”.

For several hours the young demonstrators took over the capital, running riot along N’Djamena’s main streets and eventually converging at the French embassy.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7094125.stm

http://www.wvwnews.net/story.php?id=2252

2007-11-14