This place has been ready to blow for decades.
True that. It was obvious back in 1981, my first visit to Paris. TMFA ... Too Many F***ing Arabs. I remember that impression very clearly. Sadat was assassinated the same week. An older Frenchman was standing at a news stand where I was picking up a copy of the Herald Tribune and almost yelled in my face “Les Russe!” (the Russians!). He didn’t know he was surrounded by the real culprits with more arriving every day.