In recent years, France has wrestled with its immigrant populations. In the fall of 2005, protests and riots engulfed the country. More than 200 public buildings were damaged and 10,000 cars burned in 300 cities during three weeks of rioting. Many of the rioters were French citizens of North and West African descent tired of discrimination. Azouz Begag, the first French Minister for Equal Opportunities, spoke about his experience on Wednesday, Oct. 31, 2007, at Montana State University. Begag was born to Algerian immigrants in France and wrote "Shantytown Kid," the autobiography of his childhood in a shantytown suburb of Lyon. Begag's most recent book, "Ethnicity and Equality: France in the Balance," documents the socioeconomic inequalities, ethnic discrimination, and political neglect that have bred a volatile generation of minority ethnic youths deeply distrustful of a society they believe has failed them. (38 minutes)
