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Friday, June 26, 2015

Paris cabbies strike & riot to protest Uber

French anti-Uber protests turn violent as cabbies burn cars - Yahoo News UK - Agence France Presse::

June 25, 2015 - "Protests in France against ride-booking app Uber turned violent on Thursday as taxi drivers burned cars and blocked access to airports and train stations.

"Some 2,800 cabbies took part in the strike, with more than 30 blockades nationwide, including the access points to Paris's Charles De Gaulle and Orly airports, police sources said.

"Taxi drivers in France are furious over an Uber service called UberPOP, which puts customers in touch with private drivers at prices lower than those of traditional taxis....

"One private chauffeur, who said he did not work for Uber 'or any other app' was dragged from his van by angry cabbies when he reached a blockade in the west of Paris. They slashed his tyres, smashed a window and then set it on fire.

"'Why did you come to work, you know we're on strike today,' shouted one cabbie, while AFP journalists saw another car on fire further down the road....

"Police eventually fired tear gas and broke up the protest on the western stretch of motorway, clearing burning tyres from the road that rings the capital, but there were later attempts to stall traffic....

"Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve called for calm and said he had told prosecutors to bring a prohibition order against the UberPOP service....

"Cabbies in France, like their colleagues in several other countries, have held several protests against the app -- some of which have turned violent, with Uber clients and drivers reporting being assaulted.

"On at least two occasions in Strasbourg in the east of France last week, taxi drivers posed as customers in order to lure Uber drivers to isolated spots where they were assaulted by cab drivers and their vehicles damaged.s"

Read more: https://uk.news.yahoo.com/french-anti-uber-protests-turn-112758946.html#3AW0Ql7
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