On the one hand, these riots are very similar to the kinds of riots that have been seen in the US and Britain, and it some ways they are actually less destructive - in terms of deaths, injuries, and extent of property damage.
On the other hand, there are components that are more uniquely French - ie the whole "third world comes to Europe" thing, that has been a problem in the Netherlands, Germany, and Britain as well.
European history of imigrations is not positively rich...
