Brit holidaymakers travelling to France issued warning in Foreign Office update

30 June 2023 , 13:29

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The riots ran into their third night on Thursday (Image: AP)

British travellers have been warned to be aware of the unrest in France following the fatal police shooting of a 17-year-old.

French President Emmanuel Macron has so far held off on declaring a state of emergency, but the crisis has grown as rioting spreads across the country.

Newly updated Foreign Office travel advice warns of potential disruption and cautions people to be aware of the uncertain situation.

"Since 27 June, riots have taken place across France. Many have turned violent. Shops, public buildings and parked cars have been targeted," the UK Foreign Office said in updated advice.

"There may be disruptions to road travel and local transport provision may be reduced. Some local authorities may impose curfews.

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"Locations and timing of riots are unpredictable. You should monitor the media, avoid areas where riots are taking place, check the latest advice with operators when travelling and follow the advice of the authorities."

In Aubervilliers a bus was torched overnight (AFP via Getty Images)

Hundreds of thousands of Brits are likely to be in France at the moment, given how many millions visit the country each year - 13 million in 2018 from the UK alone.

Élisabeth Borne, the prime minister, has said that “all options” are on the table to restore order, including imposing a state of emergency.

The French government has stopped short of that so far - a measure taken to quell weeks of rioting around France that followed the accidental death of two boys fleeing police in 2005.

Back then police were given special powers to enforce curfews, which saw teenagers banned from the streets between midnight and 6am in some areas.

While there is no curfew currently in place, tourists in busy cities - particularly Paris - would be advised to avoid certain areas at night following two days of intense riots.

In Nanterre - in the west of Paris - protests have been at their most intense. The unrest has extended as far as Belgium's capital, Brussels.

Firefighters douse the flames of a building set on fire during protests in Roubaix, northern France (AFP via Getty Images)

It followed a march on Thursday in memory of the 17-year-old, named as Nahel M, who died during a police stop in the city. He was shot in the chest.

His death has revived long-standing grievances about policing and racial profiling in France’s low-income and multi-ethnic suburbs, called Le Banlieue.

A relative of the teen said his family is of Algerian descent. Nahel will be buried Saturday, according to Nanterre Mayor Patrick Jarry, who said the country needs to "push for changes" in disadvantaged neighbourhoods.

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Macron is urging parents to keep teenagers at home to quell rioting spreading across France and says social media are fuelling copycat violence.

Milo Boyd