Self-Fulfilling Prophetess

As Global Review mentioned yesterday, defeated French Socialist prophesied a few days before the presidential election that a win for center-right candidate Nicolas Sarkozy would spark violence and riots. She was right, in a sense:

In the Place de la Bastille in Paris riot police fired tear gas and at least one burst of water cannon after hundreds of rioters – some wearing masks – began throwing bottles, stones and other missiles.

They also set fire to cars and burned Mr. Sarkozy in effigy.

So the Socialist was right! She had said that the banlieues - depressed immigrant suburbs - might explode in violence if she lost the election. But wait... la Place de la Bastille n'est pas un banlieue. The News sheds a bit more light on the location of the rioting:

About 5000 supporters of defeated Socialist party candidate Segolene Royal had gathered in the square to await the election results.

So when Royal said there would be rioting, it wasn't so much a prediction (after all, the banlieues stayed peaceful) as a command to her followers. I hope the irony of this political and social malfeasance is not lost on the French.

Hat tip to Drudge.