A well-known author has stirred up French cultural circles by defending the violent riots that swept the country. His position is blunt: he says outright that he is in favour of setting fire to the street. The riots in question rank among the most violent France has experienced. Since the unrest, the country's intellectuals have been at each other's throats. Figures on the left have come out in defence of revolutionary violence. On the right, voices are demanding that the state answer with a firm hand. The standoff has reopened an old French argument about where rebellion ends and destruction begins.