Unrest spread across troubled suburbs around Paris for a sixth night last night as police clashed with angry youths and scores of vehicles were torched in at least nine towns, local officials said.
Police in riot gear fired rubber bullets at advancing gangs of youths in Aulnay-sous-Bois - one of the worst-hit suburbs - where 15 cars were burned, said the prefecture that runs the Seine-Saint-Denis region.
Four people were arrested for throwing stones at police in nearby Bondy where 14 cars were burned. A fire engulfed a carpet store, but it was not immediately clear whether the blaze was linked to the unrest.
Officials gave an initial count of 69 vehicles torched in nine suburbs across the Seine-Saint-Denis region that arcs Paris on the north and northeast.
The area, home mainly to families of immigrant origin, often from Muslim North Africa, is marked by soaring unemployment and delinquency. Anger and despair thrive in the tall cinder-block towers and long "bars" that typically make up housing projects in France.
French Interior Minister Nicolas Sarkozy - blamed by many for fanning the violence with tough talk and harsh tactics - met last night in Paris with youths and officials from Clichy-sous-Bois in a bid to cap days of rioting. But the unrest spread even as they met.
Mr Sarkozy recently referred to the troublemakers as "scum" and "riffraff."
Officials said that "small, very mobile gangs" were harassing police and setting fires to garbage cans and vehicles throughout the region.