France cracks down on Uber after taxi driver protests

France ordered a nationwide clampdown on UberPOP on Thursday, siding with taxi drivers who blockaded major transport hubs in angry protests against the popular online ride-sharing service. Furious at what they regard as unfair competition, cabbies blocked roads to the capital’s airports, overturned cars and burned tires to press for the scheme to be abolished. Prime Minister Manuel Valls condemned the violence and incidents “on both sides” as the government sought to take a tough stand on the protests while backing the drivers’ case.

They give a deplorable image to visitors to our country.

Prime Minister Manuel Valls

The protests were among the fiercest in a series of strikes and other demonstrations across Europe against San Francisco-based Uber, whose backers including investment bank Goldman Sachs and technology giant Google. Uber, which says it has 1 million users in France, links drivers to passengers via a smartphone app. It has expanded its UberPOP service in French cities, provoking anger from taxi drivers and stirring a debate over what is fair competition.

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