More Riots on Saturday?

Saturday September 22 promises to be an eventful day. First, the new Islamic wing of the Louvre museum, a major project, long-awaited by Islamophiles and art lovers, as well as groveling politicians eager to give Islamic art its rightful place in France, will open. A reader sent this English-language article that gives some background information, but I hope to have more later on the political motivations behind this costly endeavor.

Now, while the Louvre pays tribute to Islamic art, what will last Saturday's salafists be doing? The social networks have been buzzing with calls to demonstrate against that movie again. This time the protests are to take place on the Esplanade of the Trocadéro, opposite the Eiffel Tower. Prime Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault has banned the demonstration, saying "We will not tolerate rampages. The Republic will not be made a fool of."

Below a poster that says "Don't touch my Prophet!"

Writing at Islamisation, Joachim Véliocas warns of possible violence:

Last Saturday, the police had already been on the alert from the quantity of noise on the Internet. They were overwhelmed, and allowed the Islamists to drift as far as the place Vendôme. Six officers were wounded! A "remake" of a greater order of magnitude, considering the buzz all over the web, is likely in several Paris neighborhoods. And with Charlie Hebdo adding fuel to the fire, that may incite those who at first didn't care about some film made 5000 miles away. And to believe that this involves only salafists is an enormous mistake, since the Prophet is respected by all the Muslims in the ghettos.

Note: The satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo has reprinted the Danish cartoons.

Ayrault has just announced that the demonstration will be banned. Big deal! Was it banned last Saturday? And the movement may spread, to Lyon especially, where a demonstration is scheduled. The young identitarians of Lyon, who are "holding" the old part of the city, have been receiving many phone calls from worried residents.

Note: The identitarian movement of Lyon has issued a communiqué in which it vows to defend Lyon in case of violence on Saturday:

(...) Everybody fears a repeat of the riots such as those in Paris last Saturday, where we saw Islamists and thugs in a common cause… Everybody knows that our city and its region have not been spared by either. For problems linked to Islam to dictate daily life in Lyon on Saturday, and for the rest of the year, is out of the question.

(...) In September 2012, the young identitarians of Lyon will defend their city if necessary. In case the Islamists/thugs demonstrate this Saturday, we will not hesitate to fight in the streets. We urge the people of Lyon to remain vigilant and informed of the situation.