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Banned sex shop bids to reopen near Paris school

The manager of a sex toy shop in Paris that was forced to close down for violating child sex laws because it was too close to a primary school is hoping judges at France's highest appeal court will decide that dildos are not pornographic and allow him to reopen his store.

Published: 11 October 2013 11:24 CEST
Banned sex shop bids to reopen near Paris school
Paris sex shop "1969 Desirables Curiosities" is fighting to reopen after being forced to close because it was too close to a school. Photo: Pierre Verdy/AFP

Is a dildo pornographic? That is the question that judges at the Cour de Cassation in France will now have to answer after a shopkeeper Nicolas Busnel lodged an appeal against a conviction for violating child protection laws for selling his products within 200 metres of a primary school.

Busnel, whose shop was 90 metres from a local primary school, was forced to close after the verdict last year, following a complaint from a Christian group, the CLER Love and Family Association.

The verdict had been denounced by Busnel’s lawyer as being based on "the most retrograde morality and the most worrying puritanism".

Busnel had denied that his shop's products, which included dildos and vibrators, violated the law and succeeded in having his case sent to France's highest appeal court.

On Thursday his lawyer Richard Malka argued that the law, which Busnel had flouted, refers to pornographic objects, but no court has ever ruled that a sex toy was pornographic.

Malka also stressed that no child or parent or teacher had ever complained about the presence of the sex shop near the school.

After losing the first case, Busnel was ordered by the court to pay a symbolic €1 in damages to the Le Cler Amour et Famille. He had faced up to two years in prison and a €30,000 ($40,000) fine.

At the hearing the association’s lawyer Henri de Beauregard whipped out two dildos to show the court, saying: “These are, without doubt, pornographic.”

In defense, Malka responded “I don’t want to know anything about these objects,” adding there was no proof they were sold by the shop.

He then hit back by pulling out a rubber duck and other items sold in the shop, in a bid to demonstrate to judges that they were not pornographic.

"France is today the only country in the Western world to consider a vibrating duck as a pornographic object," Malka had said.

He argued the restriction would make it nearly impossible for anyone to open a sex shop in densely populated central Paris.

"This decision will inevitably lead to a ban in a capital of the Western world on all businesses selling sex toys," he said.

A lawyer for the Christian group De Beauregard said "the protection of children is not retrograde".

The appeal court is due to deliver its verdict on December 5th.

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PARIS

How to avoid taxi scams in Paris

When taking a taxi in Paris, it is important to be prudent in order to avoid being overcharged. These are some of the things you should be aware of.

Published: 19 March 2024 10:37 CET
How to avoid taxi scams in Paris

Know how to identify an official Paris taxi

An official taxi will have a sign on top that says “Taxi Parisien” and this will be lit up if the taxi is available and there will be a plate on the outside of the vehicle (front right wing) showing the taxi’s license number

Once inside you will see a meter on a very obvious display in the front of the car.

However unlike in other cities Paris taxis are not a uniform colour or model. 

Know the difference between a taxi and a ‘VTC’

In France, ride share apps – like Uber, Bolt or Heetch – are know as VTCs (Véhicules de Tourisme avec Chauffeur).

These vehicles may not be marked as they are usually privately owned, though some platforms, like Bolt may allow drivers to use company cars with the logo on the side.

These are not taxis in the official sense – you cannot hail a VTC for example. The benefit is that you pay up front on the app, so you know exactly how much the ride will cost ahead of time (plus the car will come to where you are).

VTCs are not beholden to the same rate system as taxis, so they may charge more or less, depending on the ride. They are also allowed to charge more during busy periods. However, gig workers in France have recently won additional rights, meaning there is a minimum rate charged per journey – as of 2024, this was set to €10.60.

READ MORE: The alternatives to taking taxis when visiting Paris

Know the taxi rate system

If you’re travelling from the Charles de Gaulle airport to the city centre by an official taxi (not Uber), you’ll pay €65 for a trip heading anywhere on the Left Bank and €56 for anywhere on the Right Bank, as of 2024.

If you’re coming in from Orly airport, it will be €36 for the Left Bank and €44 for the Right Bank.

The government has decided on these fares and there are similar fixed rates for official taxis in Nice, Cannes, Antibes and Toulouse. A full list can be found on their website.

There are also different rates depending on the time of day, as well as whether or not it is a Sunday or bank holiday. These are set by local authorities each year – you can find the latest updates here.

Tariff A is from 10 am to 5 pm except on Sundays and public holidays, with the price per kilometre set at €1.22 and a maximum hourly rate at €37.90.

Tariff B is in effect from 5 pm to 10 pm (rush hour and nighttime) and Sundays from 7 am to midnight, as well as public holidays the whole day. The price for this tariff is €1.61 per kilometre, with an hourly rate of €50.52.

Last but not least is tariff C which is in place on Sundays from 12 am to 7am, with a price of €1.74 per kilometre and an hourly rate of €42.10.

READ MORE: What you need to know about taking a taxi in Paris

If you book with G7, verify you are really booking with G7 

Taxis G7 is a Parisian taxi company that is registered with the Préfecture de Police de Paris.

They have a website and mobile app that allow you to book in advance. However, in recent years, fake taxi sites appearing to be connected to G7 have appeared online. 

One French man interview by BFMTV was charged €15 more than the usual price for a trip to the airport. He had searched ‘taxi Paris’ on the internet and accidentally booked with a fake service.

The G7 company told French media it is aware of false advertising and imposters – they advise downloading their app and going directly through that to avoid scams. More info here.

The private driver scam

Foreigners and visitors are often targeted with this scam. Essentially, once you have exited baggage claim in the airport – or perhaps while walking around the city – a ‘taxi driver’ approaches telling you that they are a private driver and can take you wherever you are going. Then, they charge rip-off rates.

At the airport, they might tell you there is a strike or protest on, and therefore you cannot use official taxi services.

There is a quick solution to this – official taxi drivers are not allowed to solicit trade – so only illegal drivers will approach would-be passengers.

Never accept a lift from drivers who approach you at the airport or train station. Instead, be sure to follow the signs for the taxi area and wait in the line for an official taxi. 

The ‘false amount in the card reader’ scam

One reader of The Local, Fergus Shepherd, was visiting Paris with his wife and children during the half term holiday in 2022, when he when he was hit by the startling charge on his Mastercard.

He believes it was linked to short taxi ride he took between two of Paris’s most famous tourist spots.

He said: “We had a lovely week and of course I used the card to pay for a few things, it was only when we got home and I got the statement I saw that I had been charged €890 for a single payment, which I certainly hadn’t spent.

“When we looked at the time on the payment it was roughly the same time as we took a taxi from the Musée d’Orsay to the Pompidou centre.

“We took a licensed Paris taxi and the fare on the metre was about €15.

“The driver let us out around the corner because there were roadworks and I paid on my card using Chip and PIN, I didn’t see the amount properly on the card terminal, but I could see the metre amount and it was what I would expect for that journey.

“When I got home I saw the €890 charge and I called Mastercard and they said it was probably the taxi.”

There are a few ways to avoid this – be sure to carefully look at the card reader when paying, and be aware of the rates as stated above.

Taxi drivers are required to give a receipt if the trip costs more than €25 (taxes included).

READ MORE: Paris tourist says trip ruined by ‘€890 taxi fare’

Be aware of supplementary charges

Taxi drivers are able to charge for supplementary passengers once the number goes above five, which would mean a cost of €5.50 per extra passenger, as of 2024.

And there is also be a flat rate for the cost of reserving a taxi from airports in future – €4 for an immediate reservation and €7 if it is booked in advance.

Paris taxis cannot charge an extra fee for bags when going to and from the airport.

No official taxi in France is allowed to charge extra for a wheelchair for a disabled passenger.

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