Reuters AlertNet Lite - Bus drivers to boycott volatile Paris suburb

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Bus drivers to boycott volatile Paris suburb

24 Nov 2006 14:39:29 GMT
Source: Reuters

PARIS, Nov 24 (Reuters) - Bus drivers in a volatile southern Paris suburb will suspend services indefinitely from Friday night after a week in which stone-throwing youths attacked about 10 privately run buses, the CFTC union said. The drivers will not serve "sensitive" areas in the Essonne area "until further notice" because violent incidents have become routine, it said. One driver was in a "state of shock" after his bus was stoned and at least three youths were arrested, it added.

The CFTC said three buses were vandalised on Thursday night south of Paris, bringing the number of buses with smashed windows and windscreens to around 10 this week.

The attacks, just over a year after a wave of violent riots hit poor suburbs across France, are the latest in a series of attacks on buses that have become almost routine in some areas.

In the most serious of a spate of incidents, a young woman was left fighting for her life after the bus she was travelling on in the southern city of Marseille was torched by a gang of youths last month.

The incidents have taken on a wider political significance as presidential elections are due in about six months and security and law and order have become central issues.

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Last updated:Fri Nov 24 14:41:13 2006