Foreign Office warns Britons over travel to France during riotson July 1, 2023 at 4:11 am

Britons travelling to France may face disruption and are advised to monitor the media, the Foreign Office has said, as the country grapples with widespread rioting.

In new travel advice, the government urged Britons to avoid the riots, saying their locations and timings were “unpredictable”.

They also said it was “more important than ever” to get travel insurance.

Riots began on Tuesday after police shot a 17-year-old of Algerian descent.

Nahel M was killed as he drove away from a traffic stop. His death has reignited debate around the state of French policing, including questions of racism in the force.

The Foreign Office updated its travel advice for France on Friday, warning there could disruption to road travel and local transport, and that further curfews may be imposed by some local authorities.

Britons should check the latest travel information from operators and follow the advice of local authorities, it said.

The government said it was “more important than ever to get travel insurance and check it provides sufficient cover”. It has also provided online guidance on foreign travel insurance.

So far, the Foreign Office has not changed its advice to warn against all but essential travel – a move which would invalidate many travel insurance policies.

More than 470 people were arrested in further violence on Friday evening, but France’s interior minister insisted there had been a “downturn” in unrest.

President Emmanuel Macron said thousands more officers would be deployed to contain the violence, but stopped short of declaring a state of emergency.

Paris Aeroport, which manages Orly and Charles de Gaulle airports, reported road and rail disruptions from the capital to its airports from 21:00 local time.

As of early on Saturday morning, rail services from the UK to France on the Eurostar were scheduled as normal.

Around 17 million British nationals visit France every year, according to the Foreign Office.

Clamart, a Parisian suburb which was the first place to declare a curfew, announced restrictions between 21:00 and 06:00 local time from Thursday until Monday.