There’s nothing more French than a riot

If, like me, you studied French at a Scottish comprehensive in the Eighties, you will have heard of Créteil. It’s the Parisian suburb where a gormless fictional schoolboy called Thierry Garnier used to wander about, saying “ qu’est-ce que c’est? ” and “ où est l’hôtel de ville? ” and — most hilariously to our juvenile minds — “ Bof! ”. Today, Thierry would probably be out on the barricades; for the protests now gripping…