France declares state of emergency; more rioting possible.

Byline: Tod Robberson

CLICHY-SOUS-BOIS, France _ Murad Muhammad Ali, an unemployed security guard, says he repeatedly has tried to keep younger residents from rioting in this Paris suburb. They've ignored him, but he says he understands their motivation.

"Most of the guys around here were absolutely shocked when (the interior minister) called us scum. A lot of guys started thinking, OK, if that's what you're going to call us, then that's how we'll behave," said Muhammad Ali, 30, from Algeria.

Despite a state of emergency that went into effect Tuesday night to halt rampant rioting, Muhammad Ali and other residents of North African communities outside Paris warned more violence could occur because the government has been too slow to address the many causes of their anger.

In Clichy, the city where the rioting began nearly two weeks ago, residents blamed decades of neglect, job discrimination and heavy-handed police tactics for the violence that has engulfed nearly 300 provincial districts across France.

Declaring that ...