French Government Uneasy After Riots

After the riots of the last month in France over the proposed CPE, the French government has backed off instituting a smoking ban in fears of more unrest from the citizens. Some people in France think the government needs to ban smoking and think they are cowards for backing down. They can't seem to do much right lately.

(Reuters)"April 12, 2006 will mark the first day of a new public health scandal: The 'contaminated air scandal'."

The authorities have vowed to cut smoking in public places, in part to attract health-conscious tourists. Smoking bans already exist in Ireland, Italy and Spain.

Many people were surprised by the government's climbdown, saying they had not expected it to cause widespread unrest.

"People are too lazy to take to the streets over smoking," Arezki Messad said, enjoying a cigarette in a Paris cafe.