Three weeks of urban riots of October and November, 2005, were an exceptional collective episode of violence, even in France where the tradition of protest is lively. Their scale, their concentration in the time, their spectacular character drew the attention of the international press. We are interested here in the social and structural dimensions of these riots, underlining first the effects of the differences between cities on a demographic plan, on that of the employment situation and housing, as regards to the spatial segregation and discriminations. Taking for reference set the municipalities of more than 65 000 inhabitants except Île-de-France and the municipalities of more than 25 000 inhabitants in Île-de-France, that is approximat...