In French banlieue is the general term for the outskirts or surrounding suburbs of a city, but is generally associated with low income persons, government-provided shabby apartment blocks, unemployment and high crime rates around the big cities. In Paris these areas include Clichy-sous-Bois, Bondy and Corbeil-Essonnes.
Unsurprisingly the majority of the populations in these areas are of African and North African descent. The police regularly patrol these areas and the relationship between them and the inhabitants is best described as poisonous. This was the theme of the movie La Haine (the hate) from 1995 which had a wide release in the English speaking world.
Unfortunately the problem is only going to get worse with the high birth rate of Muslim immigrants, most of whose offspring, detested and unwanted by the French, are destined for the banlieues.
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