paris tourist riots

Have a Trip to Paris Planned? What to Know About Ongoing Protests

After a series of pension protests throughout the first half of the year, french citizens again took to the streets after a police officer killed a 17-year-old boy. here’s the latest information..

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In France, riot police have been repeatedly called in as tensions escalate.

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A fresh wave of protests took place throughout France in late June and early July after a police officer killed a 17-year-old delivery driver during a traffic stop. The teenager, named Nahel, was of North African descent and died on Tuesday, June 27, sparking outrage throughout the country.

In the days following the killing, riots broke out in dozens of cities throughout France, with incidents of arson, clashes, and looting, the Associated Press reported . After six nights of unrest and more than 3,400 arrests, the violence appeared to be abating as of this week, AP reported.

In its latest update , security risk and crisis management firm Crisis24 notes that “protests and widespread incidents of violence in reaction to the June 27 police-involved killing of a teenager near Paris have reduced significantly, as of July 5. Authorities reported that Paris and other urban centers were relatively calm overnight July 3–4 and 4–5. Police announced significant reductions of violent incidents, arrests, and injuries, after a peak on June 30.”

According to Crisis24, several political organizations have called for additional marches on July 8 . “These demonstrations are likely to attract thousands of attendees. The locations and timings of events are not yet known,” the firm stated. “Tensions will likely remain high nationwide as authorities prepare for possible rioting in the coming days.”

The most recent unrest comes in the wake of numerous rounds of protests that have been taking place in Paris and around France since the start of the year. Previously, demonstrators had been voicing their opposition to French President Emmanuel Macron’s new pension plan, which pushes the retirement age from 62 to 64 and was enacted into law on April 14. Those protests had become more muted recently, having dwindled from gatherings with tens of thousands of participants earlier this spring to much smaller groups of several hundred citizens.

Heaping piles of garbage were removed from the Paris streets at the end of March and in early April when a garbage collectors’ strike that had been in effect since March 6 was finally called off; the strike was in response to their newly proposed retirement age, up to 59 from 57.

A new round of escalations could again disrupt services such as public transportation.

Is it safe to travel to Paris?

The U.S. Embassy in Paris has issued a “security alert,” warning that there are ongoing demonstrations in and around the Paris region and other major French cities “following the June 27 police shooting in the Parisian suburb of Nanterre.”

“These demonstrations, along with spontaneous protests, are expected to continue and may turn violent. U.S. citizens should avoid mass gatherings and areas of significant police activity as they can turn violent and result in clashes,” the U.S. Embassy states.

The embassy also reports that some cities in France are imposing curfews and advises that U.S. citizens avoid demonstrations and areas with increased police activity and monitor the news for updates. (English-language French media outlets include France 24 , RFI, and the Local. ) The locations of protests are not often known in advance, so it’s important to stay up to date on the latest.

As of July 6, 2023, the U.S. State Department’s France Travel Advisory remains unchanged at a Level 2 (indicating that travelers should continue to exercise increased caution). The U.S. Embassy cites the reasons as terrorism and civil unrest.

What should you do if you’re traveling to France? The U.S. State Department recommends that U.S. citizens in France “avoid areas around protests and demonstrations” as “past demonstrations have turned violent . . . in case of violence or property damage, French authorities may use chemical agents and water cannons to disperse crowds.” It also notes that “strikes can interfere with travel plans.”

For additional assistance, contact the U.S. Embassy in Paris at +33 (1) 43 12 22 22 or [email protected].

Are flights to France, transportation services, and other businesses affected by the protests?

Following the latest unrest, the public transit system “remains disrupted, with bus, tram, and rail services in several major cities suspending or limiting operations,” Crisis24 reports. In the Paris region, the transport operator RATP has at time suspended some bus, tram, metro, and RER train lines, so be sure to check the latest before making any travel plans using public transit.

During the pension protests, among those that had been walking out on the job were air traffic controllers, which most recently planned strike actions on May 1 and 2. As a result, the French Civil Aviation Authority asked all airlines to reduce their flight schedules to and from Paris Orly airport and several other French airports on May 1 and May 2.

During the strike, Air France operated all of its long-haul flights, all flights to and from Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport, and about 70 percent of flights between Paris-Orly and other French airports. Passengers who experienced a flight cancellation due to strike activity could opt for either a future flight credit or a full refund, according to Air France.

During strike actions, “last-minute delays and cancellations cannot be ruled out,” Air France said.

Another round of air traffic controller strikes has not yet been announced or scheduled but shouldn’t be ruled out by travelers.

In addition to worker strikes that can affect services such as public transport systems, the ongoing protests in France can create traffic and transportation congestion and service interruptions in and around major cities, including potential delays in travel between downtown and the main Paris airports, Charles de Gaulle and Orly.

Crisis24 advises travelers to confirm all transportation reservations. “Do not check out of accommodations until onward travel is confirmed,” the firm notes, adding that travelers should allow extra time for travel in major French cities.

As of press time, major museums and attractions in Paris, including the Louvre , Musée d’Orsay , Eiffel Tower , and Sacré Coeur , remain open to visitors during regular operating hours—although the Louvre and Eiffel Tower have both temporarily closed during protests, so be sure to check daily with regards to opening hours and operations.

Graffiti in Paris in the aftermath of a police killing of a teenager named Nahel.

Lyndsey Matthews

What does it feel like on the ground in Paris right now?

The riots have “definitely died down,” says Lyndsey Matthews, AFAR’s senior commerce editor, who was in Paris at the height of the latest round of uprisings in early July following the police killing. “When I was there, I saw nothing. I noticed a few shops on the Champs-Elysées were boarded up and they apparently cleared the Place de Concorde after I was there Friday evening, but it wasn’t noticeable as a tourist.” On the average day in Paris, “it feels fine on the ground, honestly,” says Lindsey Tramuta, a freelance writer and frequent AFAR contributor based in Paris. “I would recommend travelers keep following the news about it and if and when there are additional strikes or demonstrations planned, which are announced in advance, that they avoid those areas.”

What are the 2023 Paris protests about?

The latest unrest in Paris and throughout France followed the police shooting of Nahel, a 17-year-old boy of Algerian heritage, in the Paris suburb of Nanterre, an incident that was captured on video, CNN reported . The killing surfaced concerns and outrage about ongoing issues of racism and poverty in France, and the subsequent uprisings prompted President Macron to ban large-scale events in France as tensions remain high.

The riots come in the wake of months of pension protests in Paris and throughout France that represent the most significant demonstrations since the Yellow Vests Movement (named after the fluorescent vests protesters wore during the demonstrations), which began in late 2018 and continued into early 2019. Back then, French people were opposed to President Macron’s fuel tax hike (instituted to reduce emissions) and to the government’s economic policies and the high cost of living.

In 2023, French citizens are once again fed up—this time that Macron’s government implemented Article 49.3 of the Constitution to pass a bill without a vote in the Assemblée Nationale that pushes back the retirement age from 62 to 64 for most workers and requires that citizens have worked for at least 43 years in order to access a full pension. The global average retirement age in 2020 was 64.2 for men and 63.4 for women, according to the most recent data available from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) .

President Macron explained the reasoning behind the new policy, stating, “People know that yes, on average, you have to work a little longer . . . because otherwise we won’t be able to finance our pensions properly,” the Associated Press reported .

But as Lisa Bryant of NPR’s Morning Edition notes , “The French are fiercely protective of their universal health care and generous pensions. It’s a choice society has made: Work hard, pay high taxes, but also retire at a relatively young age with a high standard of living.”

And now French citizens are rising up again in opposition to police brutality and discrimination against marginalized communities.

This story was originally published on March 21, 2023, and has been updated to include current information.

Protests in Paris: how unrest could impact Easter travel plans

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Paris has been gripped by strikes and demonstrations related to the recent, controversial pension reform. Left Bank bistro La Rotonde was damaged on the 11th day of action © Julian de Rosa/AFP via Getty Images

Over the last few weeks, images of overflowing garbage bins and violent street protests in Paris  have dominated the international news cycle – raising qualms among travelers.

If you have plans to visit the French capital this spring, here’s the low-down on how to experience the city fully – but safely.

What’s happening in France and why are people striking? 

Over the last three months, the government’s unpopular pension-reform scheme, which will gradually raise the age of retirement from 62 to 64, has unleashed a wave of discontent in France .

The level of anger and violence escalated after the government used a controversial executive power to push through the bill without putting it to a vote in parliament, where it faced fierce opposition.

Millions of people have marched in union-organized protests since they began in January. The 11th day of protests took place this week on Thursday April 6 with trains and planes disrupted as well as hundreds of thousands taking to the streets to demonstrate. Left Bank  brasserie La Rotonde, a haunt of  President Macron, saw it's awning set on fire.  Trade unions have vowed to continue staging rolling strikes until the bill is withdrawn.

Is it safe to visit Paris?

Since October 2022, the US State Department has placed France at a Level 2 travel advisory, which recommends that citizens exercise “increased caution” due to threats of terrorism and civil unrest.

The US embassy has also been regularly releasing “demonstration alerts” advising people to avoid demonstrations and areas with significant police activity, to be vigilant of surroundings and to notify friends and family of their safety. The most popular spots for protests have been Place de la Bastille , Place de la République and Place de la Concorde . 

Overall, authorized protests have been largely peaceful and can even be festive in atmosphere, with music, food and dancing. But this vibe has been largely restricted to the early start of the marches. The atmosphere tends to degenerate as the protests continue and the crowds of peaceful demonstrators begin to thin, and clashes between anarchist infiltrators and anti-riot police heat up. These violent protesters set fires, shoot fireworks, smash storefront windows and throw projectiles; in reaction, police have been using tear gas, water cannons and batons to disperse crowds.

Travelers should also be aware that protesters, mainly young people, have been staging spontaneous, unauthorized protests and sit-ins that have often ended in violence as well. 

You can minimize the risk of being caught up in the chaos and being at the receiving end of either projectile or tear gas by steering clear of the protests as much as possible.

How can I keep up to speed on the latest developments?

Aside from international news sites, the best way to keep your ear to the ground on the latest developments in Paris is to monitor local English-language sites like France24 , RFI and The Local France . 

On these platforms, you’ll find information about how Paris was left to stew in 10,000 tons of uncollected waste after garbage collectors joined the pension-reform strikes. Waste collection has since resumed, but workers warn strike action could resume.

For the latest updates, your best bet is Twitter, where tourist attractions and public transport operators post closures and disruptions in real-time. The city’s official tourism office also posts a comprehensive list of how strike action affects Métro, regional RER and Transilien train lines, as well as Parisian airports and attractions. On the most recent day of protests, March 28, walkouts resulted in the closure of the Eiffel Tower , the Musée d’Orsay , the Musée du Louvre and the Château de Versailles .

How do strikes and protests affect public transport and airports?

On strike days, service is drastically reduced on rail lines (including the Eurostar), buses, ferries and air travel. 

The French civil aviation authority regularly asks airlines to cancel up to 30% of flights on and around strike days when air traffic controllers walk off the job. (Most of the cancellations have affected short-haul flights in and out of Paris–Orly; long-haul international flights out of Charles de Gaulle airport have seen fewer cancellations.) Ryanair boss Michael O’Leary has called for political intervention , complaining that the French strikes have forced his airline to cancel 230 flights, and that one million passengers have been affected.

Travelers should consult their airlines for updates.

Be aware, however, that protesters have also stormed Paris airports and set up blockades on highways, forcing travelers to reach the airport on foot. Give yourself plenty of time to get to the airport, especially if you’re traveling on a strike day.

Expect reduced service and overcrowded trains on the Métro , as well as on train cancellations. Count on packing a pair of good walking shoes.

What do I do if closures affect my itinerary?

Restaurants and shops are generally open, but may close on strike days if they lie along demonstration routes (consult local media for those).

If your booking for the Louvre or Eiffel Tower is canceled due to strike action, take it as an opportunity to discover alternatives. 

For instance, instead of the Louvre, check out the Musée Bourdelle , which is dedicated to the sculptor Antoine Bourdelle and which reopened to the public this month following extensive renovations. Instead of the Eiffel Tower, consider climbing to the top of the Tour Montparnasse , which offers sweeping views of the city (including perhaps the best view in town of the Eiffel Tower itself). And instead of Versailles, consider visiting the Château de Chantilly , a magnificent castle 40 minutes by train from Paris that houses the second-largest collection of antique paintings in France (after the Louvre) as well as sprawling gardens.

Overall, if you’re vigilant, flexible about last-minute changes and open to new experiences, your Parisian experience should go relatively smoothly.

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French government paints a rosy picture for tourism despite unrest over the police killing of a teen

Tourists pose for a selfie with the Eiffel Tower in background, Thursday, July 6, 2023 in Paris. French government officials met with representatives of the tourism industry to discuss repercussions of unrest sparked by the police killing of a 17-year-old boy on tourist activity and on France’s international image. The shooting death of Nahel Merzouk, who was of north African descent, prompted nationwide anger over police tactics and entrenched discrimination against people in low-income neighborhoods around France where many trace their roots to former French colonies. (AP Photo/Michel Euler)

Tourists cross the Champs-Elysees avenue with the Arc de Triomphe in background, Thursday, July 6, 2023 in Paris. French government officials met with representatives of the tourism industry to discuss repercussions of unrest sparked by the police killing of a 17-year-old boy on tourist activity and on France’s international image. The shooting death of Nahel Merzouk, who was of north African descent, prompted nationwide anger over police tactics and entrenched discrimination against people in low-income neighborhoods around France where many trace their roots to former French colonies. (AP Photo/Michel Euler)

Tourists pack a barge on the Seine River Thursday, July 6, 2023 in Paris. French government officials met with representatives of the tourism industry to discuss repercussions of unrest sparked by the police killing of a 17-year-old boy on tourist activity and on France’s international image. The shooting death of Nahel Merzouk, who was of north African descent, prompted nationwide anger over police tactics and entrenched discrimination against people in low-income neighborhoods around France where many trace their roots to former French colonies. (AP Photo/Michel Euler)

Tourists walk back from the Eiffel Tower, Thursday, July 6, 2023 in Paris. French government officials met with representatives of the tourism industry to discuss repercussions of unrest sparked by the police killing of a 17-year-old boy on tourist activity and on France’s international image. The shooting death of Nahel Merzouk, who was of north African descent, prompted nationwide anger over police tactics and entrenched discrimination against people in low-income neighborhoods around France where many trace their roots to former French colonies. (AP Photo/Michel Euler)

FILE - A demonstrator runs on the third night of protests sparked by the fatal police shooting of a 17-year-old driver in the Paris suburb of Nanterre, France, Friday, June 30, 2023. After more than 3,400 arrests and signs that the violence is now abating, France is once again facing a reckoning. (AP Photo/Aurelien Morissard, File)

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PARIS (AP) — The Eiffel Tower, chateaus in the Loire Valley — and cars on fire. Tourists to France faced a new reality during an eruption of nationwide anger following the police killing of 17-year-old Nahel Merzouk .

While hotel owners cite a drop in bookings in some areas, the French government insisted on Thursday that the overall picture for the tourism industry remains rosy, and promised a “great season” for visitors despite the simmering discontent .

Officials from the Ministry of Economy and Finance held a meeting Thursday with representatives of the tourism industry to discuss the consequences that the nationwide unrest following Nahel’s death has had on France’s tourist activity and international image.

The fatal shooting sparked anger across France and stirred up already existing tensions about racial and class-related discrimination in policing , which often targets neighborhoods with low-income families with origins from former French colonies. The violence ebbed this week, but the roots of the tensions remain.

The Union of Hotel Trades and Industries (UMIH) reported that hotel cancellations in Marseille had reached up to 30% in the wake of the protests, and anticipated that attendance at bars and restaurants in Paris could plummet by half.

Local and national reports cited international flight and hotel cancellations driven by fear, added to the property damages that businesses suffered during several days of violence.

But the minister overseeing trade and tourism, Olivia Grégoire, refuted those numbers during Thursday’s meeting, which included representatives from UMIH. She called the figures “pessimistic and wrong,” yet acknowledged that the government is currently unable to provide official data about damage caused.

The ministry vowed to help tourism establishments impacted by the violence, which included days of clashes between young people and police, the burning of cars and public buildings, and the looting of stores. Incidents hit about 500 cities and towns around France, including Paris.

Some of the measures include postponing or erasing debt for those businesses and offering partial unemployment benefits to employees who are unable to work because of the unrest.

“Let’s not add anguish to anguish, and problems to problems,” Grégoire said. “We have everything to make this season a great season.”

She said that there’s “no wave of cancellation or postponements of flights from or to Paris.

“The fact is that restaurants, hotels, and shops are open today in Paris, Marseille, and Lyon, and this is the most important thing.”

The tourists thronging to the French capital this week took extra precautions, but seem largely unfazed.

“Basically, we’re looking around and making sure that where we are seems safe (and) if there’s any police presence,” said Valisha Ismail, a 40-year-old visiting from South Africa. “If there’s a large crowd, then we try to move away from that.”

Others said they felt safe because of the prominent police presence in the streets of the French capital. Heavily armed officers patrolled past Dior and Cartier boutiques on the Champs-Elysees avenue this week as part of an exceptional, 45,000-strong nationwide police deployment that led to more than 3,000 arrests — and new concerns about police excesses.

Johan and Jenna Haukbrauer, a couple visiting from Germany for the first time, said they were aware of what was unfolding but were nonetheless not discouraged.

“We checked the news, but we were fine because there are lots of policemen here and security forces, so for us it’s fine,” Johan said.

Gilda Stanbery, visiting her daughter outside Paris, said they weren’t able to come downtown during the most intense days of rioting. But a few days later, they could, and she said, “We are here now.”

Cara Anna contributed to this report.

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In the Paris suburb where riots erupted, protests have died down but anger remains

Eleanor Beardsley

A visit to the Paris suburb where riots first broke out in France, following the police killing of a young man of North African descent.

SCOTT SIMON, HOST:

Protests that swept across France over the police killing of a young man of North African descent are over, but root causes still simmer. NPR's Eleanor Beardsley visited the Paris suburb where the unrest began and reports there are efforts to try to help residents find some relief, if only for the summer.

UNIDENTIFIED CHILD: (Speaking French).

ELEANOR BEARDSLEY, BYLINE: Not far from where cars were torched and buildings set on fire after 17-year-old Nahel Merzouk was killed by a policeman at a traffic stop, children in Nanterre now glide down water slides and jump on trampolines. A giant astroturf area known as la plage, or the beach, has been set up for the summer by the city. Mothers Yousra (ph) and Sara Gaby watch their children from chaise lounge chairs under the shade of beach umbrellas.

SARA GABY: (Speaking French).

YOUSRA GABY: (Speaking French).

BEARDSLEY: "The kids are having fun," they say. "We're lucky Nanterre does this. It's great, especially if you can't get away for vacation." The cousins say the riots took place literally under their windows.

Y GABY: (Speaking French).

BEARDSLEY: "We couldn't sleep, and the tear gas drifted through our open windows." Yousra Gaby says there are definitely some racist police, but she also blames the young rioters.

Y GABY: (Through interpreter) I understand their anger but not the way they expressed it. They destroyed their own community, like the stores where their parents shop, their neighbors cars.

BEARDSLEY: The two Muslim women who are veiled and wear long robes can't go to the pool next door because body-covering swimwear is not permitted in French public swimming pools.

(SOUNDBITE OF SOCCER BALL THUDDING)

BEARDSLEY: Two other Nanterre mothers who aren't veiled also say both sides bear responsibility. There are decent cops, but there's also racial profiling, says Carole Boulegroun, whose husband is of Algerian descent.

CAROLE BOULEGROUN: (Through interpreter) My son has been stopped by the police because of his looks, and they've made racist comments like, we don't believe a little Arab like you isn't carrying pot.

BEARDSLEY: Myriam Durand, who sports a platinum-blonde pageboy, smokes as she watches her grandchildren play. She says another problem is that France is becoming too much like America.

MYRIAM DURAND: (Speaking French).

BEARDSLEY: "Who gives the police the right to shoot someone at point-blank range?" - she asks angrily. "Where do they think they are? This is France, not the U.S." People here say the mayor of Nanterre is a good man, and the city does a lot for its residents. Though some wonder if citizens could be held more accountable in return. Like the majority of French people, 63-year-old Marie-Paul Mansour is white and Catholic. She wears a crucifix around her neck. Mansour says she's lived in Nanterre for 35 years and raised a family in public housing. She says it's more complicated than just racism.

MARIE-PAUL MANSOUR: (Through interpreter) It's because of the concentration of people from different backgrounds and cultures living together in what we could call ghettos. And they're not integrated either. France is failing to integrate the second generation.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

PRESIDENT EMMANUEL MACRON: (Speaking French).

BEARDSLEY: President Emmanuel Macron spoke this week for the first time since the riots. While he admitted that for decades, France had let problems fester in the same neighborhoods, he said the main lesson of it all is that France must restore authority.

MACRON: (Speaking French).

BEARDSLEY: "We need order," said Macron. Several police officers have been arrested for unprovoked violence, including the one who shot Merzouk, but France is polarized over whether out-of-control youths or systemic police racism is to blame.

UNIDENTIFIED MUSICAL ARTIST: (Singing, inaudible).

BEARDSLEY: A kind of block party is underway in the neighborhood where Merzouk lived. We're surrounded by housing projects and a lot of concrete, but the whole neighborhood has come out. There's all kinds of stands for the kids. There's board games. There's drawing. There's graffiti lessons.

MECHE: (Speaking French).

BEARDSLEY: The graffiti class is taught by Meche, a professional who only wants to go by his artistic name. Meche is white and has lived in Nanterre his whole life. He says the police are the main cause of the riots.

MECHE: People are angry, and, of course, they make some riots. For me, it's obvious.

BEARDSLEY: Meche's specialty is letters. He says his graffiti has a distinct message since the murder of a 17-year-old resident of Nanterre.

MECHE: I say (speaking French).

BEARDSLEY: "The police kill."

Eleanor Beardsley, NPR News, Nanterre.

Copyright © 2023 NPR. All rights reserved. Visit our website terms of use and permissions pages at www.npr.org for further information.

NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.

NEWS... BUT NOT AS YOU KNOW IT

Why are there riots in Paris? France’s unrest explained

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France has been rocked by riots following the fatal police shooting of a teenager near Paris – with a sixth night of protests ending with the death of a 24-year-old firefighter .

The riots have seen buildings and cars set alight, bus stops destroyed, shops looted and police officers attacked with fireworks.

For the latest news on the Paris and France riots, follow Metro.co.uk’s live blog here

Demonstrations broke out on Tuesday, June 27, after a 17-year-old boy, Nahel Merzouk, was shot dead during a traffic stop in the Parisian suburb of Nanterre.

The number of people arrested yesterday dropped dramatically after Nahel’s grandmother Nadia called for peace – with 150 arrests compared to 719 on Saturday and 1,300 on Friday.

His devastated mother Mounia has said: ‘I lost a 17-year-old, I was alone with him and they took my baby away from me. He was still a child, he needed his mother.’

The police officer who killed the boy was detained and has now been charged with voluntary homicide.

As French president Emmanuel Macron and other authorities attempt to calm the situation, where exactly are the riots occurring – and how safe is it in Paris right now?

Where are the riots in Paris and further afield in France?

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The riots began on Tuesday night in Nanterre, a town in the western suburb of Paris – located some 6.8 miles away from the centre.

Demonstrations continued on the night of Wednesday, June 28, with a town hall in nearby L’ile Saint Denis – another suburb around 5.8 miles from the centre of Paris, which will serve as the Olympic village at the 2024 games – being damaged by fire.

Since then, rioting and unrest has spread to other parts of France.

Incidents have been reported in the centre of Paris itself, with the Rue de Rivoli (one of the main shopping streets close to the Champs Elysees and the Louvre) being ransacked – and a Nike store at Westfield Forum des Halles in the centre of town being targeted by looters.

There has been widespread looting in cities as far as Marseille and Nantes, and violence has broken out in Lille in the north.

A supermarket was set on fire in Roubaix, a city in the Lille metropolitan area near the Belgian border.

Local media has also reported that the unrest spread to Brussels, which is the capital of neighbouring Belgium º with 100 arrests on Friday night.

Smaller groups in Brussels appear to have joined French protesters in demonstrating against the police shooting.

Is it safe to go to Paris?

Amid the unrest, many will be wondering if it is currently safe to travel to or visit Paris.

The current Foreign Office travel advice says: ‘Since 27 June, riots have taken place across France. Many have turned violent. Shops, public buildings and parked cars have been targeted.

‘There may be disruptions to road travel and local transport provision may be reduced.

‘Some local authorities may impose curfews. Locations and timing of riots are unpredictable. You should monitor the media, avoid areas where riots are taking place, check the latest advice with operators when travelling and follow the advice of the authorities.’

It does not, however, advise against all but essential travel to France at this time.

Initially, most of the city – including the centre – was unaffected by the riots.

But with the unrest having spread to other parts of the city and other parts of France, the situation is looking less clear.

If you do have a trip to Paris or another part of France planned in the very near future, it would be wise to check the up-to-date Foreign Office advice before travelling.

The current situation is fast moving and measures to stop the unrest – such as a state of emergency, curfews, stopping public transport services earlier than usual or the banning of public events – could be implemented at any time.

Should you still decide to travel, you should make sure you have comprehensive travel insurance in place before you go.

MORE : Police officer who shot dead teen in France ‘was aiming at his leg’

MORE : French cop’s crowdfunder outraises one for family of teen he killed by €750,000

MORE : A French mayor describes how Paris was ‘in hell’ within days as riots broke out

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France riots – live: Children as young as 12 detained for attacking police amid Paris protests

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Children as young as 12 or 13 have been detained for attacking law enforcement and setting fires during six nights of violence after the fatal police shooting of 17-year-old Nahel Merzouk in suburban Paris .

The average age of the 3,354 people arrested over the past week was 17, the interior minister Gerald Darmanin said.

In all, 99 town halls have been attacked during the unrest, including an attempt to ram a burning vehicle into the home of l’Hay-les-Les Roses mayor Vincent Jeanbrun. His wife and one of his young children were injured during the attack, which began at the weekend while they slept.

“We saw the real face of the rioters, that of assassins,” Mr Jeanbrun said in an emotional speech. France and “democracy itself” were being attacked in the days of rioting, he said.

Meanwhile, an “insulting” fundraiser set up for the family of the police officer who shot Nahel has amassed more than €1 million (£840,000).

Organised by Jean Messiha, a former adviser to the French far-right politician Marine Le Pen , the appeal has raised far more than the donation page set up for the family of the teenage victim.

• Mayors across France hold anti-violence rallies as riots begin to ease in wake of shooting of teen

Is it safe to travel to Paris right now?

• Where are the riots in France and why are they happening?
• Should we change our port of departure from France?

Live blog paused

We are pausing our coverage of the France riots.

You can read our latest story below:

Aunt of French teenager shot dead by police in Paris pleads for violence to end

Exclusive: The family hope that Nahel’s death will bring ‘real change’, his aunt tells Bel Trew in Paris

ICYMI: Over €1 million donated to French police officer who killed teenager in ‘scandalous’ fundraiser

More than €1 million (£860,000) has been raised for the family of a French police officer who shot dead a teenager at a traffic stop, an act that sparked riots across the country. That is far more than a similar campaign for the family of the boy killed.

The online fundraiser started by Jean Messiha, an independent right-wing populist and former adviser to Marine Le Pen, has attracted donations from more than 52,000 people, while a fund set up by the policeman ’s colleagues has raised around €60,000.

Martha McHardy reports:

€1 million donated to French policeman who killed teen in ‘scandalous’ fundraiser

Total far in excess of fundraiser for victim’s family – where more than €200,000 has been donated

Watch: Hundreds march with French mayor after his house was attacked during riots

Watch: macron meets mayors affected riots.

The French president will talk to mayors of 220 cities that have been affected by violence at the Elysee palace after the fatal police shooting of 17-year-old Nahel Merzouk in suburban Paris , Holly Patrick reports.

Vincent Jeanbrun, mayor of L’Hay les Roses south of Paris, took part in a march on Monday after his home was hit by a burning car over the weekend.

His wife and one of his young children were injured during the attack.

The meeting comes after children as young as 12 or 13 were detained for attacking law enforcement and setting fires during six nights of violence following the shooting.

Watch live: Emmanuel Macron meets mayors affected by France riots

Watch live as Emmanuel Macron meets mayors affected by riots on Tuesday, 4 July.

Recap: Who is Nahel Merzouk? The teen shot dead by police in France

France has seen another night of violence and unrest after police shot a 17-year-old boy during a traffic check in Paris.

Thousands have been arrested since clashes first erupted on Tuesday night in and around the Paris suburb of Nanterre where Nahel Merzouk was killed.

More about who Nahel was here:

Who is Nahel Merzouk? The teen shot dead by police in France

‘We left the house at the same time. He went to get a McDonald’s’

In pictures: Rally for peace

France’s interior minister Gerald Darmanin and local officials take part in a nationwide action in Reims, northern France, on 3 July 2023.

Participants attend a nationwide action in front of town halls, after rioters rammed a vehicle into the Mayor’s house injuring his wife and one of his children overnight, in L’Hay-les-Roses, south of Paris.

Local residents and representatives gather in front of the city hall during a nationwide action in Persan, on the outskirts of Paris.

L’Hay-les-Roses mayor Vincent Jeanbrun, centre, during a citizen rally following the attack on his house over the weekend

Unrest in Paris ‘very depressing’ - Scholz

German chancellor Olaf Sholz described the unrest in France as “very depressing” but backed French president Emmanuel Macron to restore order.

"I hope very much, and I am convinced, that the French president will find ways for this situation to improve quickly," he told ARD television.

"I don’t expect France to become unstable, even if the pictures are of course very depressing.”

Paris's 'paradoxical energy’ : Baz Luhrmann speaks on couture and conflict

In an interview at Paris’s Rodin Museum before the Dior couture show, director Baz Luhrmann touched on the complex issue of attending a glamorous fashion event amidst the backdrop of recent civil unrest in France.

The protests, triggered by the police shooting of Nahel Merzouk, a 17-year-old boy of north African descent, stand in stark contrast to the haute couture spectacle, a contrast that Luhrmann described as a “paradoxical energy in Paris.”

Reflecting on the tension, Luhrmann acknowledged the deep-seated sorrow and public outcry pervading Paris. He recognised the legitimacy of the protests, saying, “There are things going on that really have a legitimate cause.”

Amidst such tragedies, he said, the vital role of art and beauty underscored their significance as essential sources of hope.

French house Celine, owned by LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton, decided to cancel its Paris Fashion Week show on Sunday over the nationwide riots. The Celine menswear show, like last season, was scheduled outside the official men’s calendar.

The house’s designer Hedi Slimane called it “inconsiderate” to hold a runway show when the French capital was “bereaved and bruised.” Other LVMH houses such as Dior, which went ahead to stage runways like most other brands, held a different view.

Travel advice to France remains unchanged

Britons travelling to France are being warned of possible travel disruption amid riots over the police killing of teenager Nahel Merzouk.

The advice was issued on 30 June and remains in place despite the unrest appearing to calm slightly overnight on Monday.

The UK Foreign Office says: “Since 27 June, riots have taken place across France. Many have turned violent. Shops, public buildings and parked cars have been targeted.

“There may be disruptions to road travel and local transport provision may be reduced. Some local authorities may impose curfews. Locations and timing of riots are unpredictable. You should monitor the media, avoid areas where riots are taking place, check the latest advice with operators when travelling and follow the advice of the authorities.

“It is more important than ever to get travel insurance and check it provides sufficient cover. See the FCDO’s guidance on foreign travel insurance.”

ICYMI: Is it safe to travel to Paris right now?

Paris has seen nights of unrest following the killing of a 17-year-old by police officers on 27 June.

The death of the teenager, Nahel Merzouk, was captured on video and has shocked France, stirring long-simmering tensions between young people and the police in disadvantaged neighbourhoods around the country.

Transport and businesses have been disrupted as a result of the clashes; on Friday (30 June), interior minister Gérald Darmanin asked regional prefects for all bus and tram services to stop from 9pm local time.

Before travelling, check if your plans will be affected and how you’ll get around.

Which parts of Paris are affected, and how does travel insurance cover you?

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Business, tourism, transport: What is cost of France’s recent riots?

The past few days have seen riots and looting after a police officer was charged with the killing of a 17-year-old driver in the suburbs of paris.

The violence that erupted in France following the fatal shooting of a 17-year-old in a Paris suburb has cost at least €1billion, including in the transport and tourism sectors, estimates suggest.

The riots, looting and clashes with law enforcement were sparked after a police officer was charged with killing Nahel during a traffic stop in Nanterre last Tuesday (June 27).

Read more: Timeline of unrest after French police allegedly shoot dead Nahel

Business cost

French business network, the Mouvement des entreprises de France (MEDEF), said it came up with the €1billion figure after calculating that more than 200 businesses, 300 banks, and 250 newsagents were affected by the violence, with some entirely looted and gutted.

Larger stores, including Carrefour, Leclerc, Lidl, Auchan, lingerie shop Etam, the Apple Store, McDonald’s and KFC were affected. But many smaller businesses with fewer resources were also targeted.

In total, around 1,500 businesses have been affected, according to the French government.

The amount calculated so far only refers to material damage and does not take into account the loss of earnings or revenue.

MEDEF president, Geoffroy Roux de Bézieux, told Le Parisien : “It’s too soon to give a more precise figure but we’ve already reached €1billion, even without the loss from a tourism perspective. Everything has been stolen, right down to the cash registers, before [the rioters] lit everything on fire to destroy it.”

Etam boss Laurent Milchior said that his business alone has lost “one million euros…for the first Saturday of the sales”.

Tourism cost

MEDEF’s president also warned that the images of the riots in France have been reported worldwide. This is likely to harm the tourism sector, which is a major part of the French economy, especially in the summer, he said.

Jean-François Rial, head of the Office du tourisme de Paris said local hotels have reported cancellations from foreign clients of up to 20-25% as a result of the riots, which will have a knock-on effect on the tourism, hospitality, restaurant, and retail sectors.

Countries including the US, UK, and China issued warnings to their citizens who were planning to travel to France, which will have had further negative effects.

Cultural events were also cancelled, including a planned performance from Mylène Farmer at the Stade de France, and the festivals Yardland and Les Estivales de Vanves.

Educational cost

France’s education minister Pap Ndiaye has said that 243 schools were damaged, due to protesters seeing them as representatives of the French state.

He said: “Around a dozen [schools] were partially or completely destroyed…we’re talking dozens of millions of euros.”

Repair and rebuilding work will also likely cause educational and job disruption to the pupils and teachers affected.

Transport cost

Many bus and tram services across the country were also damaged, or forced to alter services as a result of the riots. This was the case in cities including Paris, Marseille, Lyon, Bordeaux, Toulouse and Strasbourg.

Île-de-France Mobilités (IDFM) said the cost in its region alone was already estimated at €20million, due to at least 39 destroyed buses, at least two burned-out trams, and tramway lines. It said that one tramway alone can cost €5million.

In Clamart, Hauts-de-Seine, an entire tramway rail was burned, while a new tramway in Châtenay-Malabry was also damaged, with costs set to run to at least €5million. Articulated buses costing €220,000 each (and some up to €500,000) were also damaged in Aubervilliers.

However, Mr Roux de Bézieux said he felt confident that insurance companies would pay quickly, and urged companies to pay back “punctually” to help businesses that have been forced to shut temporarily as a result of the damage.

He suggested that the government and insurance companies should offer “targeted solutions” for the most-affected businesses.

France’s Economy Minister, Bruno Le Maire, said he had asked insurance companies to extend the deadlines for declaring damage and to pay out as soon as possible.

France Assureurs , which represents French insurance firms, said: “Insurance companies are ready and will continue to respond to requests to help our insured parties.”

However, many insurance companies may only cover the cost of damage, not any loss of business.

In addition, the cost of the damage from these riots has been particularly high this time, the MEDEF president said, because of the nature of the violence. In 2005, when riots previously erupted, the damage was mostly confined to burned-out cars, in contrast to buildings and businesses this time around.

However, almost 2,000 vehicles were still burned out and damaged over the past few days.

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France evicts hundreds of migrants from Paris squat ahead of Olympics

French authorities on Wednesday evicted hundreds of migrants from a squat in a southern suburb of Paris with just 100 days to go until the Olympics, encouraging them to board buses to other parts of France.

Charities have accused the authorities of seeking to clear homeless people from the French capital to make it look better for the Games from July 26 to August 11.

The abandoned office building in Vitry-sur-Seine had been home to up to 450 migrants, most of them documented but awaiting social housing, according to non-governmental organisations who visited to help them.

Several had left the building earlier in the week after authorities announced the upcoming eviction.

Clutching their belongings in bags, suitcases or trolleys, some 300 people who had remained left calmly on Wednesday morning under the eye of police in riot gear, looking worried about their next step.

Most were young men, but several women with children were also among the crowd.

One by one, holding documents in plastic folders, they approached immigration officials sitting behind tables to explain their situation in broken French or stilted English.

Buses waited outside, ready to take them to the central city of Orleans or the southwestern city of Bordeaux.

But many people said they did not want to leave the Paris region.

"I want to stay here," said Abakar, a 29-year-old from Sudan who did not give his second name.

He said he was in Paris to follow a logistics course and had been promised a job in a supermarket.

- 'Bordeaux is nice' -

At one table, a woman official tried to convince another young man to try his luck in Bordeaux.

"You know in France, there isn't just Paris. Bordeaux is nice, it's warmer than here," she said.

But he too was attending training in the capital region, and so she directed him to another table where a colleague was in charge of accommodation near Paris.

Merci Daniel, a mother from Sudan, said she had sent her children to stay in a nearby shelter because there was "too much violence" inside the squat.

But she did not want to leave the area as she was scared she would no longer see them if she did.

An official found her a room at a hotel outside Paris for several days.

Migrant and homeless charities have accused the authorities of seeking to remove the homeless from Paris and its outskirts before tourists arrive for the Olympics.

"There are spaces in shelters near Paris, but clearly they want to move them away from the capital. Especially before the Olympics," said Paul Alauzy, a representative from medical charity Medecins du Monde (Doctors of the World).

Some mayors in rural and small-town France have also become increasingly angry over the transfer of migrants from the capital to their communities.

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Hundreds evicted from France’s biggest squat months before Paris Olympics

Charities say authorities want to clear homeless people from streets and squats to make city look better for Games

Police have evicted hundreds of people from the biggest squat in France , in a southern suburb of Paris, prompting fresh accusations from charities that authorities are seeking to clear refugees, asylum seekers and homeless people from the capital area before the Olympics.

The squat, in an abandoned bus company headquarters in Vitry-sur-Seine, had been home to up to 450 people, many of whom had refugee status, legal paperwork and jobs in France, but who could not find proper housing. As they left the building they were encouraged to board buses to other parts of France.

The early morning eviction by police in riot gear began just as France celebrated the milestone of 100 days until the start of the Paris Games . Charities have said the state and authorities want to clear homeless people from the streets and squats to make Paris and its suburbs look better for the event, which begins on 26 July.

Clutching their belongings, 300 people left the squat at Vitry-sur-Seine calmly as about 250 police and gendarmes arrived. More than 100 others had left before dawn. Buses waited outside, ready to take people to the central city of Orléans or the south-western city of Bordeaux.

Many of those who had lived in the squat said they did not want to leave the Paris region because they had jobs there. “I want to stay here,” said Abakar, 29, from Sudan. He was in Paris to do a logistics course and had been promised a job in a supermarket.

The 450 people living at the squat included 50 women and 20 children. At least 10 children attended local schools.

The squat had doubled in size after hundreds of asylum seekers, refugees and homeless people were evicted last year from another squat in Île-Saint-Denis, near the Olympic Village site.

Paul Alauzy ,of the humanitarian organisation Médecins du Monde, had been giving health support at the Vitry-sur-Seine squat for three years. He is also a spokesperson for Revers de la Médaille (The Medal’s Other Side), a collective of charities and aid workers who warn that the Olympics are having an impact on the most vulnerable homeless people in the Paris area.

Alauzy said the collective denounced what they called “the effects of social cleansing for the Olympic Games”. He said there had been a steady pace of clearing groups of homeless people or squats for the past year.

“If there hadn’t been the Olympic Games, the population of this squat would not have doubled. The numbers grew because of the eviction of a squat near the Olympic Village,” he said.

Alauzy said the system put in place to bus people far from Paris and the surrounding area was concerning.

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“I arrived at 5.30am. Hundreds of people were waking up, brushing their teeth and packing their last things when the police arrived,” he said.

Alauzy said 80% of the people living at the squat, many from Sudan, Ethiopia and Eritrea, had refugee status or were asylum seekers and had legal documentation. Many had jobs, including on building sites and in carpentry. One Sudanese man had shown his legal documentation, long-term work contract and payslips. “But he is a foreigner in France, and when you are Sudanese, even if you have all that paperwork, it’s impossible to find housing – landlords won’t accept you,” Alauzy said.

He said many of the people did not have proper access to healthcare. “There is also the question of psychological issues. People arrive at a squat and think they will finally have a place to live. But in the Paris banlieue, in a building with 450 people, in a collective squat with very little chance of integrating in the country, after a traumatic journey here, mental health is a concern.”

Jhila Prentis, a volunteer at the squat, said: “We know the rate of evictions from buildings and camps [of tents] has accelerated over the past few months. This building had no planning permission … The building evicted in Île-Saint-Denis is still empty … We can only draw the conclusion that they are trying to clear up the area for the arrival of tourists and international media for the Olympics.

“The situation of not having a place to sleep existed before the Olympics. It’s a crisis affecting a lot of European countries, including France. These people were living in a squat, while over 50% had refugee status and many had work. They should have appropriate housing.”

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US embassy in Paris issues security alert for Americans in France after Moscow terrorist attack

T he American embassy in Paris has issued a security alert for U.S. Citizens in France following last week’s terrorist attack in Moscow. 

This means that visitors in France can expect to see heightened security in public areas, including public transport, places of worship, tourist sites, schools, sports venues , and other large commercial centers. 

The U.S. Embassy has warned that terrorists may target tourist locations "with little or no warning." 

"Visitors to congested and popular tourist areas should be particularly attentive to their surroundings," the embassy said, urging the public to report suspicious activity to law enforcement. 

ZELENSKYY RESPONDS TO MOSCOW CONCERT HALL SHOOTING, RIPS PUTIN FOR SUGGESTING UKRAINE BEHIND TERROR ATTACK

The warning comes after the French government elevated its Vigipirate national security alert system to its highest level, following a terrorist attack in Moscow on Friday evening. Russian authorities said "radical Islamists" killed 139 people at a suburban concert hall in Moscow. 

READ ON THE FOX NEWS APP

Later Monday, Italy followed France in stepping up security. The country’s national security council met Monday, and decided to increase security around Holy Week observances leading up to Easter this weekend. 

Both surveillance and checks will be increased, "paying the most attention to the places of greatest aggregation and transit of people, as well as sensitive targets,’’ the Italian Interior Ministry said in a statement. Pope Francis has a busy schedule of events in Rome and at the Vatican in the days leading up to Easter Sunday.

Original article source: US embassy in Paris issues security alert for Americans in France after Moscow terrorist attack

Olympic Games 2024: France faces serious hurdles in the race to create a meaningful legacy

Professor of Sport and Geopolitical Economy, SKEMA Business School

Associate Professor, Manchester Metropolitan University

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Paris hosting the Olympic and Paralympic Games this summer provides France with a huge geopolitical opportunity. Staging the world’s biggest sporting mega-event can boost a nation’s image , change perceptions of it, and help it project soft power around the globe.

Former French president François Hollande was credited with instigating the successful bid to stage the 2024 Games, 100 years after Paris was last host in 1924. But it is Emmanuel Macron who has enjoyed taking up the mantle in his quest to present a new vision of France.

Some believe Macron being president was just what the Games needed, given his apparent quest to transform France into a more outward-looking, progressive nation. Indeed, Macron has proved adept at playing soft power games through sport (including his efforts to keep the footballer Kylian Mbappé playing in France).

And certain features of the upcoming Games certainly look progressive, from breakdancing and BMX racing events on the Place de la Concorde, to swimmers in the River Seine, and androgynous mascots . All of these elements seem to illustrate how Paris wants the world to see it – as open, welcoming and contemporary – and reflect Macron’s promise to be a “revolutionary in a suit”.

But this is where France’s Olympic plans may begin to unravel. Because many see Macron as more of a discordant disruptor than a great reformer.

Even at the best of times, many French people resent the Paris-centric nature of their country. Such a bright spotlight on the capital this summer may accentuate that sentiment, and be exploited by Macron’s political rivals on the right .

At the same time, Macron and his Renaissance party have caused consternation among some groups recently. For example, a ban on France’s Olympic squad members wearing hijabs was widely criticised , and domestic social division could yet blight the Parisian summer of sport.

Nowhere in Paris is social division more evident than in the northern suburbs of the capital city, which is also the location of the Stade de France, the athletes’ village, and several other Olympic facilities.

Government officials are hoping the event will deliver an economic boon and lead to the regeneration of districts such as Saint-Denis .

But some observers remain sceptical , believing that the Olympics is the last thing people in Saint-Denis need, given that they have the lowest average standard of living in mainland France.

Others highlight the high rates of crime in northern Paris, evidence of which was seen when Liverpool fans were attacked at the 2022 Uefa Champions League final. And despite much talk of Parisian style and a fresh start for “brand France”, the capital now has an unfortunate reputation for street crime .

The Olympics was supposed to be a way of changing perceptions , but whether the event does so remains to be seen.

Read more: Panic, horror and chaos: what went wrong at the Champions League final – and what needs to be done to make football safer

What we do know is that the overzealous response of local police witnessed at the 2022 final and the ticketing failures that led to it, cannot be repeated. If they are, France’s international reputation would be seriously undermined.

Making Olympic host cities secure is always a major challenge. But following mass protests , riots and terrorist attacks over the last decade, Paris’ problems seem especially acute. Yet this is only one of several issues that have dogged its Olympic preparations.

City of light (and dark)

Concerns are still being raised that the Seine is too dirty to swim in, despite months of trying to clean it up. To prove the river’s safety, the mayor of Paris offered to swim in it . Later, President Macron said he was prepared to do the same .

Elsewhere, in a city that struggles to cope with traffic density, transport arrangements and problems with accommodation are worrying some officials as the Olympics approaches. In addition to ongoing claims that hotels are infested with bed bugs , there are accommodation shortages while the rental value of apartments has soared in recent months.

Meanwhile, public transport ticket prices will almost double and tourism taxes in hotels will triple ahead of the Games. Some industry groups feel the latter will damage their businesses as well as France’s image overseas.

By the end of September, it could be that many people across the world have a much more positive view of France and its capital city. If so, Macron will take much credit for the international view of his country.

But he’s not on the podium yet. Problems are mounting that could well undermine one of the president’s cornerstone projects in projecting his vision of a new France.

• Geopolitics
• French politics
• Emmanuel Macron
• 2024 Olympic Games
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Soccer-Olympics Host France Tightens PSG Security After Islamic State Threats

By Yann Tessier

PARIS (Reuters) -French police tightened security around Paris Saint-Germain's Parc des Princes stadium on Wednesday following a threat of attacks by Islamic State that adds to security worries ahead of the upcoming summer Olympics.

PSG play Barcelona later on Wednesday in a Champions League quarter-final to be viewed by millions around the world.

Spain and Britain also doubled down this week around their respective Champions League quarter-finals on Tuesday and Wednesday after the resurgent Islamic State militant group urged attacks against host venues, including with drones.

The threats are particularly concerning for France, a long-time target of militant groups, as it gears up for the Paris Olympics in July and August.

At PSG's Parc des Princes stadium on Wednesday, police began towing away parked cars and installing concrete blocks.

Photos You Should See - April 2024

Senior police officers directed operations.

"We can see a lot of trucks and a lot of police. It's pretty reassuring. Not everything's deployed yet, but we feel safe," Parisian Anthony de Oliveira said.

Spain said it had deployed more than 2,000 officers to boost security in Madrid for the games there.

On Tuesday, the Arsenal v Bayern Munich match in London and Real Madrid v Manchester City in Madrid went ahead without a hitch. Atletico Madrid play Borussia Dortmund in Spain in the fourth quarter-final on Wednesday.

Several police vans were parked in Madrid's Plaza Mayor and officers flew a drone as dozens of Borussia fans enjoyed their drinks at cafe terraces in the landmark square, singing and waving to the drone.

"You do notice the threats and of course it gives you a bit of an uneasy feeling, but you can't let it ruin your fun. We just hope that nothing happens," 24-year-old fan Til Schwang told Reuters.

Paris 2024 President Tony Estanguet said levels of security at the Summer Games would be unprecedented that he was confident France could deliver a safe event.

"Security is the priority when it comes to the Games' success," Estanguet told reporters. "If we fall short on security, the rest counts for nothing."

Ahead of this week's Champions League games, Islamic State published a post urging followers to recreate a November 2015 attack on the Stade de France stadium. The post featured an image of the Parc des Princes stadium, according to Site Intelligence group, which tracks Islamic militant postings.

Another image seen by Site Intelligence urged militants to use drones to attack the stadiums.

After being largely crushed by a U.S.-led coalition, Islamic State has been slowly rebuilding its capabilities via underground sleeper cells.

Its Afghan branch, known as ISIS-K, has been particularly active in recent months. The group claimed responsibility for a mass-fatality attack at a concert near Moscow last month, and also carried out twin bombings in Iran that killed nearly 100 people earlier this year.

(Additional reporting by Michael Gore in Madrid, Writing by Gabriel Stargardter;Editing by Andrew Cawthorne and Pritha Sarkar)

Copyright 2024 Thomson Reuters .

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Tags: soccer , France , The Olympics , Europe , Spain

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Representing the U.S. and Critiquing It in a Psychedelic Rainbow

Jeffrey Gibson’s history-making turn at the Venice Biennale brings the gay and Native American artist center stage with works of struggle and freedom.

Jeffrey Gibson in his studio in Hudson, N.Y., with a painting, at right, for his U.S. Pavilion exhibition at the Venice Biennale, opening April 20. The work, titled “Whereas It Is Essential to Just Government We Recognize the Equality of All People Before the Law,” cites the Civil Rights Act of 1875 in close, angular letters. Credit... Elliott Jerome Brown Jr. for The New York Times

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By Jillian Steinhauer

Reporting from Hudson, New York.

• Published April 13, 2024 Updated April 15, 2024

People in Venice might hear the jingle dress dancers before they see them. On April 18, some 26 intertribal Native American dancers and singers from Oklahoma and Colorado will make their way through the winding streets and canals of the Italian city. Wearing brightly colored shawls, beaded yokes and dresses decorated with the metal cones that give the dance its distinctive cshh cshh rattling sound, they’ll make their way to the Giardini, one of the primary sites of the Venice Biennale. There, they’ll climb atop and surround a large red sculpture composed of pedestals of different heights and perform.

The jingle dress dance, which originated with the Ojibwe people of North America in the early 20th century, typically takes place at powwows. In Venice, it will inaugurate the exhibition in the United States Pavilion on April 20. Titled “the space in which to place me,” the show is a mini-survey of the rapturous art of the queer Choctaw and Cherokee artist Jeffrey Gibson . Flags, paintings, sculptures and a video envelop and fill the stately building with proliferating geometric patterns, intricate beadwork, evocative text, a psychedelic overdose of color and political references to Indigenous and broader American histories.

“How do I relate to the United States?” mused Gibson, 52, who in conversation slips effortlessly between earnestness and flashes of playful, dry wit. It was late December, and we were sitting in a room in his upstate New York studio whose nondescript furniture was dotted with evidence of ongoing work on Venice: a maquette here, paint samples there, a test flag folded loosely in a chair. The deadline for finishing nearly two dozen artworks was about a month away, but Gibson was calm — at least outwardly so — as he showed me images and the pieces in progress.

“I have a complicated relationship with the United States,” he said. His ancestors were among the Native Americans forcibly displaced by the federal government. Both his parents came from poverty and went to boarding schools, where Native children were frequently abused. As his studio manager zoomed in on a digital image of a painting, I could see a large block of text surrounded by angular, radiating lines. Gibson read the title: “The returned male student far too frequently goes back to the reservation and falls into the old custom of letting his hair grow long.”

The chilling line came from a 1902 letter written by the Commissioner of Indian Affairs to a school superintendent in California about the need to assimilate Native students returning home from boarding schools. Once he found it, Gibson decided that all three busts he was working on for the Biennale should have prominent hair: a beaded mullet; long, flowing locks made from ribbon; and an elaborately-styled shawl-fringe “do.” The choice represents one of his artistic strengths: taking a point of pain and turning it into a kind of celebration, without losing its critical edge.

The Venice project aims to interweave a Native American narrative with other histories of struggle and freedom. Its title comes from a poem by the Oglala Lakota writer Layli Long Soldier . “‘The space in which to place me’ seemed like this idea of both decentralizing things and making things central that are oftentimes on the periphery,” Gibson said. That describes not only his approach to the show, but his selection by organizers for the State Department for one of art’s highest honors.

Gibson is the first Native artist to represent the U.S. with a solo exhibition in the 94 years that this country has had a pavilion. The project is co-commissioned by Kathleen Ash-Milby, curator of Native American art at the Portland Art Museum; Abigail Winograd, an independent curator; and Louis Grachos, the director of SITE Santa Fe. (Ash-Milby and Winograd are the curators.)

“Jeffrey and I have been talking about the biennale since we were there together for the first time in 2007,” Ash-Milby, who is Navajo, recalled. “It didn’t feel attainable at the time. It felt like a fantasy.”

If Gibson’s selection is belated, it also comes at a moment when his career has reached a kind of fever pitch: In addition to Venice, a book he conceived and edited, “ An Indigenous Present ,” came out last summer, and two major new projects for him — the facade commission for the Metropolitan Museum of Art and an exhibition at Mass MoCA — have recently been announced.

Today, Gibson is well established, with three galleries representing him and a 14-person team — increased to 20 for Venice — helping to execute his ideas. Most of that work takes place in a turn-of-the-century brick schoolhouse just outside of Hudson; Gibson bought it in 2012 and began converting it into a 14,000-square-foot studio. (He also recently acquired a nearby barn.)

On my visit, the schoolhouse studio felt like an intriguing combination of its past and current lives. Spaces were dedicated to different mediums, like the painting gym or a room where intense beading was underway. The exchanges between Gibson and his staff were a collegial banter. (“Is it too subtle?” he sometimes asks his production manager about his characteristically loud artworks.)

“I’m kind of enamored by the challenges of practicing democracy,” he told me, inadvertently summarizing the ethos of the studio.

The budget for Gibson’s exhibition is $5.8 million, but as reported by The New York Times, the federal government only provided $375,000. The team had to work hard to fill that gap — most notably, the Ford Foundation gave $1.1 million and the Mellon Foundation, $1 million. Further proceeds — including, unusually, money from the direct sale of a $7,500 limited-edition cashmere blanket through Sotheby’s — will support the catalog, educational resources and public programming like a scholarly convening in October.

Gibson’s momentum has come amid a broader wave of mainstream institutions paying heightened attention to Indigenous artists, including Sky Hopinka, Nicholas Galanin and Rose B. Simpson. Despite the symbolic importance of Gibson’s project, it’s not the first time a Native artist has shown in the Venice Biennale, thanks to collateral exhibitions.

In fact, this isn’t even the first time a Native artist will exhibit inside the U.S. Pavilion. In 1932 the American presentation was a group exhibition that included George Bellows, Ernest L. Blumenschein, and more than a dozen Indigenous artists, whose works were concentrated in a single gallery. Pottery, jewelry and textiles by mostly unnamed makers shared space with Pueblo paintings by Ma Pe Wi , Tonita Peña, Fred Kabotie , and others.

The art historian Jessica L. Horton has argued that the 1932 show was an attempt to disseminate American “aesthetic nationalism” that failed, in part, because the Native artworks didn’t fit the organizers’ Modernist framework. Nearly a century later, Gibson is using his turn to critically examine myths of American nationhood. He said he began by looking at the country’s founding documents, which led him to the constitutional amendments, and from there to social and political movements. “I wanted to map out some moments in American history when there is this real promise of equality, liberty and justice and then think about what those terms mean,” he said.

These ideas appear in direct but not didactic ways. Phrases from his research — for example, “We hold these truths to be self-evident” — appear on objects like a punching bag in the pavilion’s red-painted rotunda. A towering figure with a ceramic head and a body of rainbow fringe wears a garment that says, in beadwork, “We want to be free.” Additional text on its side references the Indian Citizenship Act of 1924 — calling attention to the centennial of the law that finally granted U.S. citizenship to Native Americans.

Although Gibson’s artworks have political valences, they also contain many layers of form and meaning. The towering figures, for instance, are ancestral spirits. The punching bags began when he was working with a trainer to process anger — following his therapist’s suggestion.

The text in the paintings is rendered in what his studio calls the “Gibson alphabet,” close, angular letterforms that take effort to discern. As if all that weren’t enough, Gibson has added vintage beaded Native objects to some of the paintings, mounting them atop trippy geometric patterns that reference Indigenous abstraction. And everything, of course, is a riot of color (one painting contains 162 shades). It’s part of his critique: a response to Western art history’s insistence on the primacy of whiteness and the consequent devaluing of certain cultures, including Native American and queer ones.

“We’ve been dismissed as garish and too much, because of our use of color,” Gibson said. He recalled his professors in the 1990s at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, where he received his B.F.A., constantly questioning his polychrome choices. Such questioning wasn’t innocent; it implied that his art looked “gaudy, trashy, kitschy and campy.” It took him decades to embrace the abundance of color for which he’s now known.

“There are very few artists I can think of that have such a sophisticated understanding of color,” Grachos, the co-commissioner, said.

Gibson’s aesthetic is inspired by the traditional Native objects that filled his home growing up and, equally, by queer culture and nightlife, which offered him a sense of freedom and safety he never felt entirely — and still doesn’t — in the Native communities where his relatives lived.

His father worked as a civil engineer for the Department of Defense, which kept the family moving frequently, from North Carolina and New Jersey to Germany and South Korea. By 13, Gibson was clubbing with friends in Seoul — a pastime he continued as he came out. His work now often includes song lyrics, and the performance artist and nightclub icon Leigh Bowery, who died in 1994, is a touchstone. As a teenager, Gibson would glimpse the downtown New York scene in Interview magazine and think, “Oh my gosh, that’s where I have to get to.” (He still says, “Oh my gosh.”)

His route was circuitous. While in college in Chicago, he worked at the Field Museum on the implementation of the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act . He liaised with tribal delegates who came to look at Indigenous objects in the collection. The experience taught him lessons about language and faith that he struggled to translate into his art. “How do I make a painting about this?” he asked himself often. “It was impossible.”

After college, Gibson wanted to teach art on the Choctaw reservation but was gently rebuffed by the chief, who encouraged him to pursue his calling out in the world instead. “This was somebody giving me permission to not fulfill this definition of being Native, but saying, You need to go and carry us with you. That is also being a Choctaw person ,” Gibson recalled. Crucially, the Choctaw Nation paid for him to attend graduate school at London’s Royal College of Art. While there, he made his first garment — a form that would later become a staple of his practice.

Gibson received his master’s in 1998 — the same year he met his husband, the artist Rune Olsen, in London. The two married 14 months later in Norway, where Olsen is from, and then moved to New York. Gibson worked long hours at Macy’s and Ikea while experiencing what he called “a relentless loop of disappointment” as a struggling artist, especially a Native one. At one point, in an act of desperation, he took some of his canvases to a laundromat and put them through the washer and dryer.

But he also found community, both among young artists in Brooklyn and at the American Indian Community House in Manhattan, where he had his first New York solo show in 2005. Titled “ Indigenous Anomaly ,” it featured glowing, abstracted landscape paintings, and was curated by Ash-Milby. “Every single person I had heard of who was a Native artist had shown there,” Gibson said of the house. “It felt like the perfect place for me to do an exhibition.”

That same year, he received a Creative Capital grant that helped fund a series of trips he took around the country to visit Native makers and commission objects like silver engravings and drums from them. He incorporated those into his 2012 exhibition “ one becomes the other ” at the nonprofit Participant Inc. The show was a breakthrough: It set him on a course of queering and combining Western and Indigenous art traditions into playful and evocative hybrid forms. The positive reception — he was picked up by a commercial gallery for the first time — made him feel as though his audience was finally starting to understand his intentions.

“When I’m thinking about objects made by Native people, historically, the circumstances they were living in, it’s counterintuitive to think that the thing to do would have been to make something beautiful. I realized they made spaces of freedom,” he said, his eyes filling with tears. It was our second meeting, this time at his New York gallery, Sikkema Jenkins & Co., in February. The works for Venice had all left the studio that day, and Gibson was exhausted and emotional. It made his humor sharper and his reflections more vulnerable. “So if I can apply that to my own work, it’s trying to make a space for freedom,” he continued.

For Gibson, that effort isn’t — can’t be — solely personal; it extends outward to other people. Sometimes this manifests in his studio or through collaboration, with the jingle dress dancers at the Biennale or more experimental practitioners like the White Mountain Apache musician Laura Ortman . Other times it’s a subtler invitation to the public, as with the Venice sculpture made of pedestals, on which visitors can climb and sit.

“I’ve started to think of the pavilion as a machine people will enter and leave changed,” said Winograd, the co-commissioner. “We’re creating a space of radical inclusivity — and as much as that’s connected to Jeffrey’s experience, it’s also a gesture to everyone who has ever felt outside of a normative identity.”

That, in the end, is the message of Gibson’s art: Everything is multifaceted. His over-the-top aesthetic is a joyful revolt against the reductiveness of fixed categories and the pressure he’s felt, both externally and internally, to always show up on behalf of Native Americans.

“I look back at the amount of ambition and energy I’ve put into being everywhere, and I realized that it’s come from wanting to close this gap on a lack of representation,” he said. Turning his thoughts to life after the Biennale, he said, “I want to open up to another degree of experimentation. I want to get back into an intuitive place where I’m speaking for myself.”

Jillian Steinhauer is a critic and reporter who covers the politics of art and comics. She won a 2019 Andy Warhol Foundation Arts Writers grant and was previously a senior editor at Hyperallergic. More about Jillian Steinhauer

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