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Strip bars to fires: Travel warnings about France

The safety warnings foreign governments issue to their citizens when visiting France can appear to be excessively alarming. Although we don't want to be scaremongers, here are a few of the most severe from governments around the world.

Published: 6 October 2014 17:06 CEST

Strip bars to fires: Travel warnings about France

From strip joints to forest fires - what foreign countries warn about visiting France. Photo: AFP

After the United Kingdom upped the security warning for its residents heading across the Channel for a visit, noting the 'high threat of terrorism', The Local France decided to take a look at what other countries are telling their citizens about France.

While the UK's assessment may be in line with France's own decision to beef up security due to a terror threat from Islamist extremists, there are plenty of warnings out there from other foreign governments that could certainly be deemed excessive.

Grouped together they make France sound like it's overrun with marauding bands of violent thieves, armed separatists with an urge to spill blood and a natural disaster waiting to happen.

We gathered direct quotations from the websites of various foreign governments of the "dangers" of visiting France.

They might make you laugh, shake your head in disbelief or encourage you to be a lot more careful the next time you visit.

Strip joints to forest fires: What countries warn about visiting France

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Man shoots 2 officers in Paris police station after grabbing gun

The incident happened in the French capital’s 13th district shortly before 10:30 pm on Thursday night.

One of two officers shot and seriously wounded at a police station in Paris was fighting for his life Friday, the police chief of the French capital, Laurent Nunez, said.

The man was arrested for “a very violent attack on a woman” with a box cutter.

The policemen took him to the police station and had him blow into a breathalyser when the attacker grabbed one of the weapons, said Nunez. He then seriously wounded the pair of officers.

Both officers were immediately transferred to hospital.

“[The officer’s] life is still in danger,” Paris police prefect Laurent Nunez told broadcaster France Info.

Shootings in police stations in France are very rare.

The prosecutor’s office said three investigations had been launched – including “the attempted murder of the woman” and the “attempted murder of persons holding public authority.”

The third was being carried out by the IGPN, the national police’s internal affairs department, to look into the use of “intentional violence with a weapon by a person holding public authority”, as is routine when an officer uses their weapon.

Nunez did not provide any information about the attacker.

Police do not know whether the man knew the woman he had attacked, adding that the police officers called to the scene had to break down the door of the flat, he said.

The suspect was wounded by return fire and hospitalised. His life is not in danger, according to prosecutors.

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