There was fresh violence in France tonight, the fifteenth consecutive night of civil disturbances.
Eight French police officers have been suspended for their suspected role in the beating of a young man in a Paris suburb, a national police spokeswoman said today.
Police said by 2100 GMT 70 vehicles were burned compared to 86 at the same time the previous night. "The trend continues downwards," a police spokesman said, adding that so far no major incidents had been reported.
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Violence in urban areas around France has fallen in the last few nights after emergency powers allowed local officials to impose night curfews on youths behind two weeks of unrest over racism, poverty and unemployment.
Two of the police officers were suspected of dealing "unwarranted blows" to the man in La Courneuve, one of the suburbs where unrest has broken out recently, said national police spokeswoman Catherine Casteran.
President Jacques Chirac said earlier France must respond quickly to the problems faced by inhabitants of poor neighbourhoods hit by two weeks of violence.
"We will have to draw all the consequences of this crisis, once the time comes and order has been restored, and with a lot of courage and lucidity," Mr Chirac told a news conference.
"We need to respond in a strong and quick way to the unquestionable problems which many inhabitants of the deprived neighbourhoods surrounding our cities are facing," Mr Chirac said.
"Whatever our origins we are all the children of the Republic and we can all expect the same rights," he said, in just his second public comments since rioting began on October 27th in heavily immigrant suburbs of north-east Paris.
Urban violence dropped for the third straight night last night after the government adopted emergency powers, invoking a 50-year-old law allowing local government officials to impose curfews and other restrictions.
Even though violence has abated in recent days, Mr Chirac said his priority was still "restoring public order and respect of the law." He defended his use of state-of-emergency legislation, saying he had "given the security forces the measures they needed".
French police said at 1am today they had arrested 143 people and that 280 cars were burnt, compared to 139 people arrested and 327 cars burnt at the same time the previous night. But they said there were no reports of injuries, and an official at police headquarters said the trend was "positive".
More than 1,400 cars were burnt overnight on Sunday, police said. France imposed emergency measures yesterday in 38 suburbs, towns and cities including Marseille, Strasbourg, Lyon, Toulouse and the capital.
The violence by white youths as well as French-born citizens of African and Arab origin began in Paris suburbs after the deaths of two youngsters apparently fleeing police. It swiftly turned into a broader protest against racism, police treatment and poor job prospects in tough neighbourhoods.