# Copy cat riots in Europe A number of cars were set on fire in the German cities of Berlin and Cologne in suspected copycat attacks after nearly two weeks of widespread unrest in France, police said on Wednesday. The damage was minor compared to France, where police said at least 190 cars were set ablaze on Tuesday night and that 70 people had been arrested. On Monday night more than 1,000 cars went up in flames. Youths set fire to vehicles in several cities in Belgium for the third night on Tuesday in what officials say appeared to be an imitation of violence in France. A car, a bus and a truck went up in flames in the port city of Antwerp, while a car was set ablaze in Ghent. Another car was torched in Lokeren, a town located between Ghent and Antwerp. Public officials have stressed the fires were isolated cases, devoid of any riots. The officials have sought to forestall any spillover of the French violence by stepping up police patrols and increasing dialogue with immigrant community leaders. Like France, Belgium has a large immigrant population, many of Moroccan origin, with high unemployment among the young. But the decentralized country has a more multicultural method of integration than France, respecting ethnic sensitivities. (Reuters)
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