Seine-Saint-Denis
by Remon Haazen
SEINE-SAINT-DENIS (93)The large scale riots that ensued after two boys died while hiding from the police in an electricity sub station in Clichy-sous-Bois in 2005 shook France to its core. Four years later the suburb of Seine-saint-Denis, a suburb North East of Paris and where the riots originated, is still one of France’s most socially deprived urban regions. Home to one and a half million people, the suburb is commonly known as “ neuf trois”, named after the departments administrative and postal code. Despite government announcements to reduce its deplorable social statistics, Seine-Saint-Denis continues to suffer from high unemployment, worrying crime levels and scholarly failure. Only 9 percent of its population has proof of finished further education compared to 38 percent in Paris, 8 kilometers away.