Urban violence

India: Bombings in Bombay and Srinigar, and Other News

Date: July 11th, 2006 |

Police increased security on India’s rail networks and at airports following a series of bomb blasts in Bombay and Srinigar July 11 that killed scores and wounded hundreds more. The seven explosions over the course of eleven minutes on Bombay’s commuter trains during the evening rush hour killed 147 and injured more than 400. [read more]

Brazil: Organized Crime Gangs Terrorize Sao Paulo

Date: May 16th, 2006 |

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Rampaging criminal gangs attacked police posts, banks and city buses in a four-day spree in Sao Paulo state that produced 81 deaths, including 39 police or security officers, 38 gang members, and four civilians caught in the crossfire. Many buses were burned, but passengers were allowed to get off before the vehicles were torched. The [read more]

Mexico: Drug Gang Violence in Acapulco, Recovery in Cancun

Date: January 31st, 2006 |

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The Pacific coast resort of Acapulco has seen increasing drug-gang violence in the past year, and a dramatic shootout with police took place Jan. 27 just blocks from the main tourist area. The suspects were killed and four police officers were injured. To reduce tensions, hundreds of local and federal police were deployed to secure [read more]

Australia: Riots in Sydney

Date: December 13th, 2005 |

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Two nights of violence occurred around Sydney, with varying opinions on the source of the trouble. Some call it racist violence, others criminal gang trouble, others the eruption of an underclass frustrated with economic disparity. The first incident occurred at Cronulla Beach Dec. 11 when mobs of what police called white supremacists attacked Middle Eastern [read more]

Haiti

Date: June 21st, 2005 |

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The Peace Corps has suspended operations in Haiti in response to increasing violence ahead of elections scheduled for October and November. Kidnappings have also increased and foreigners are more frequently becoming victims. Since April 11, six Americans have been kidnapped, not necessarily because they are Americans, but because of their perceived wealth. Most kidnappings are [read more]

France: Unrest in Paris Suburbs

Date: May 30th, 2006 |

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In a scene reminiscent of last fall’s three weeks of rioting by disgruntled immigrants, some one hundred youths fought with police May 29 in the Paris suburb of Seine-Saint-Denis. The youths burned cars and trash bins to protest a police operation that resulted in the arrest of a local man. Seven police were injured and [read more]

Nepal: Political Crisis Deepens

Date: April 18th, 2006 |

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The political crisis between the king and a coalition of opposition parties and Maoists is growing more dangerous. Police fired on demonstrators in Chandragadi, some 310 miles southeast of Kathmandu, on April 19, killing four. In Kathmandu, authorities imposed an 18-hour curfew in and around Kathmandu April 20 in an effort to stop a massive [read more]

Russia: Racist Murders in St. Petersburg

Date: December 27th, 2005 |

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Foreign students in St. Petersburg are increasingly the victims of racist attacks with assaults now occurring at triple the rate of last year. A Cameroonian man was killed and a Kenyan wounded in separate attacks around the same time Dec. 24. The victim was the second African student killed in St. Petersburg in two months. [read more]

France: Riots across the Country

Date: November 8th, 2005 |

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Riots by angry youths began in the Paris suburbs Oct. 27 and continued nightly for almost two weeks, quickly spreading to 300 French cities and towns and becoming the largest social uprising since 1968. The government declared a state of emergency that gives police special powers to contain the unrest and is valid until Nov. [read more]

Brazil

Date: June 7th, 2005 |

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The Rio de Janeiro state legislature approved a bill to build six-foot walls along some main roads to protect motorists from stray bullets after a gun battle between police and drug traffickers shut down the Red Line expressway. The shoot-out lasted several hours and many drivers abandoned their cars or reversed direction to escape. This [read more]