France in fire, blood and anguish! The nightmare across the channel. When going on a summer holiday in Paris for United Kingdom residents and elsewhere turns into a real Indiana Jones adventure following the Nanterre tragedy. The Bridge Magazine shares with its readers essential tips for tourists who have chosen France as a holiday destination to prevent them from experiencing a tumultuous trip.
20 July 2023
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Violent riots of populations protesting a police blunder in Nanterre, France: a policeman shot dead at point-blank range a teenager who had a clean criminal record without blinking.
On Tuesday morning, June 27th, 2023 in Nanterre in the Hauts-de-Seine department, a roadside check took a disastrous turn:
Nahel M…17-year-old motorist, of North African origin, from a single-parent family and from a disadvantaged neighbourhood in the region of ‘Ile-de-France, is dead.
No! This is not one of the films series of adventures of one of the masterpieces
by Steven Spielberg.
Nahel has just passed away. His inconsolable mother calls for a white march after a poignant testimony that crushes tears of sadness and causes a real stir around the world.
The period from the end of June to the beginning of July 2023 will forever be etched in the memories and in the history of police blunders. French police are feared to be the deadliest in Europe.
According to sociologist Sebastian Roché “Over the past twenty years, the French police have killed the most citizens in Europe” if we take into account the ratio of the number of deaths to the number of inhabitants.
Our editorial was prompt to make several posts on social media (LinkedIn, Instagram, YouTube…) to spontaneously pay tribute, not only to Nahel but also to all the victims of the riots in France.
The Bridge Magazine also vehemently condemned all the violence against businesses in connection with the death of the young Nahel.
At The Bridge Magazine, we treat any tragedy or violence resulting in loss of lives very seriously.
The loss of a human is ALWAYS a tragedy.
The young Nahel, like all the victims of violence in France died in real life.
The city of Paris, the businesses will perhaps be rebuilt but that will not resurrect either Nahel or all the other victims of the riots in France, hence the tragic nature of the Nanterre drama and all its direct consequences.
First immediate consequence of the brutal shooting of Nahel and the riots in France. The tourism sector is affected.
According to Jean-François Rial “Today in Paris, with the violence, we already have thousands of cancellations. At the beginning of July, I think we are already around 20-25% cancellations in Paris for international customers and I would not be surprised if these are the same figures for France. “
Jean-François Rial is the head of the Paris Tourist Office and CEO of Voyageurs du Monde.
According to a recent survey, several embassies discourage their nationals from visiting France. The multiple cancellations are altering France’s image throughout the world.
For some, France is haughty, imperious, elitist, even bourgeois and contemptuous.
France provokes and excludes foreigners but for many, France remains the best holiday destination in the world. But why?
Did you know?
Tourism is one of the major sectors of the French economy because France remains a benchmark of the most popular European tourist destinations.
According to statistics, in 2021, tourism contributes 3.0% of the wealth created by the French economy, or 75.7 billion euros.
The beauty of the language, the quality of life, the temperate climate, the availability of easily accessible transport infrastructure, the notoriety of Parisian tourist sites, the diversity of it landscapes, the richness of the gastronomic heritage, a specially designed age-appropriate play equipment to children’s age, and to a family life … remain undeniable assets of France.
Paris is mostly known for its gorgeous, imposing monuments.
From the iconic landmarks, to the incredible museums, cafes, and gardens, the city of love is also the ideal place to stroll through the streets and parks and enjoy the café terraces and architecture.
For the moment, it is still Paris that keeps the crown of the most touristic city in the world.
To take away that crown from Paris, it would take a city in addition to the absence of police blunders, riots, more biggest tourist attractions, more marvels, a greater variety of points of interest, more places of interests, more things worth seeing, historical, cultural and artistic.
According to statistics, France is the world’s leading tourist destination in terms of visitors welcomed with nearly 90 million international tourists in 2019, and the 3rd destination for revenue generated by international tourism.
As a reminder, in addition to tourists, France attracts foreign investors and is the third host country for foreign direct investment in the world.
The importance of holidays.
Contrary to a preconceived idea, erroneous and very widespread, one does not go on holiday to be snobbish.
Going on holiday may prolong human life expectancy.
According to a study conducted over 40 years in Finland, the absence of holidays would be associated with a very high risk of premature death.
Going on holiday would have the effect of compensating, balancing, redeeming, all the efforts made to have (or to achieve) a healthier lifestyle.
Holidays have been scientifically proven to magnify the enhancement of the development of neurons and brain connections.
Generally planned over at least a year, holidays are essential for human health and well-being: on a physical, psychological, school, university and even professional levels, their benefits are obvious.
For children and young adults
Holidays can stimulate the intelligence quotient (IQ) and the ability to concentrate in children and young adults
enabling them to grasp and absorb the knowledge learned at school, university or in the training schools …
Holidays allow you to free yourself from the pressure of the volume of modules, from the stress accumulated throughout the academic year.
For adults, parents and/or grandparents
If you are employees, retirees, investors, parents, and or grandparents, if your daily routine, your working days are monsters that hold you captive, that your robot life dehumanizes you, the holidays will allow you to free yourself from stress accumulated throughout the professional, parental, and/or business year.
Taking a holiday to rest, relax and recharge provides you with a renewed enthusiasm and focus for when you return to work…
When holidays in France turn into a nightmare because of the riots:
The Bridge Magazine provides practical advice to parents on holiday and any tourist in France
The French writer, moralist and memoirist François de La Rochefoucauld (1613 -1680) once said: “We are never as happy or as sad as we think”
To contextualise his maxim: we are never so well prepared or so badly prepared for holidays as we imagine!
For an issue of few pennies, an unpaid hotel night, an unpaid metro ticket, an unpaid car rental, an indelicacy related to the riots, a region affected by the riots which obliges you for example:
to relocate and pay again in another hotel while waiting for a possible refund… whatever your social status, a badly managed and or fortuitous event can tarnish a criminal record that you have kept pure for decades.
Book and stay with your children in a decent Hotel or Apartment Hotel with WIFI, a minimum of hygiene, health and safety.
The ideal is to choose a hotel and or apartment hotel in a well-served area, an area geographically located near a supermarket.
The life of a human has its peaks and troughs. As parents, it is normal to be financially broke because certain unforeseen events can slip into your daily life and or your holidays.
To avoid sometimes running out of money, it is absolutely necessary to adjust your expenses.
At a time when the overly expensive cost of living puts enormous financial pressure on almost all populations around the world,
a hotel and or apartment hotel allows you to enjoy hot meals at a very little cost with fresh food (fruits, vegetables, poultry, etc) from the nearest supermarket you can reach when you go for a walk with the children.
A bottle of mineral water of your choice, fountain version, family version (6 litres) will allow you to stay well hydrated for your few days of vacation.
Fresh mountain milk, pineapple juice… enough to quench your thirst during meals or fill your water bottles when visiting tourist sites.
A few French bakeries and the essentials will allow you to make snacks for a morning visit to some tourist sites located a few metro stops from your hotel or apartment hotel.
A family lunch, and or croque-monsieur in the heart of Paris with the children can be very luxurious and expensive.
If you don’t have Mastercard currency converters that automatically adjust exchange rates based on the country you are in, be sure to exchange in your country of residence.
If you live in the United Kingdom, for example, be sure to exchange money in the United Kingdom. Not in bureaux de change, located on the premises of main train stations or airports.
When Brexit plays nasty tricks on British holidaymakers in France!
The pound sterling is no longer worth its weight in gold: the British currency has been severely sanctioned outside the United Kingdom since Brexit. Europe is keen to teach the UK a lesson and taxpayers pay the price.
The pound, that once made British tourists opulent at the checkout counter, is at its lowest in 34 years against the dollar and is at its lowest since the end of 2008 against the euro.
What happened to France land of welcome for all, such a beautiful country and founding country of the European Union, to spiral to such unfortunate and tragic events?
Contrary to what you have been led to believe, France is an extremely welcoming land and is one of the countries that integrates the most foreigners in the West.
According to an INSEE report: “41% of immigrants arriving in France were born in Africa. In 2022, 7.0 million immigrants live in France, i.e., 10.3% of the total population 2.5 million immigrants, i.e., 35% of them have acquired French nationality. » INSEE in France is The National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies.
We sincerely hope that the executive power in France will URGENTLY pass laws to prevent future police blunders. That new laws will continuously further integrate foreigners in order to avoid social malaise, this inquisitive, almost xenophobic look that is immediately posed on any foreigner without knowing their history.
Laws that will allow over time to mend the deep cracks of the social divide in France. We sincerely hope that tourists ,surprised by the tumult of the atrocities of the riots will return home safe and sound and that the residents of France will regain their ‘joie de vivre.’
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Dear All,
A massive thank you for all your comments and words of encouragement that I receive on a daily basis regarding my articles.
Just to note: if I do not reply to your comments individually it is because there is an overload of comments in my dashboard but I do see all your feedback and comments and we, the team at The Bridge Magazine 🗞️🌍 are eternally grateful.
Kind Regards,
The Editor🗞️🌍
Rachel Tcheungna 👱🏾♀️
Chers tous, chères toutes,
Un immense merci pour tous vos commentaires et mots d’encouragement que je reçois tous les jours concernant mes articles. C’est fort apprécié.
Juste pour vous dire : si je ne réponds pas à vos commentaires individuellement, c’est parce qu’il y a une avalanche de milliers de commentaires au quotidien dans mon tableau de bord. Je vous rassure que je vois toutes vos mises à jour et tous vos commentaires et nous, l’équipe de The Bridge Magazine 🗞️🌍 vous en sommes éternellement reconnaissants.
Bien cordialement,
L’Éditrice🗞️🌍
Rachel Tcheungna 👱🏾♀️
Dear All,
What happened to France land of welcome for all, such a beautiful country and founding country of the European Union, to spiral to such unfortunate and tragic events?
Contrary to what you have been led to believe, France is an extremely welcoming land and is one of the countries that integrates the most foreigners in the West.
According to an INSEE report: “41% of immigrants arriving in France were born in Africa. In 2022, 7.0 million immigrants live in France, i.e., 10.3% of the total population 2.5 million immigrants, i.e., 35% of them have acquired French nationality. » INSEE in France is The National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies.
Kind Regards,
The Editor🗞️🌍
Rachel Tcheungna 👱🏾♀️
Dear All,
The current French President is His Excellency Emmanuel Jean-Michel Frédéric MACRON.
We sincerely hope that the executive power in France will URGENTLY pass laws to prevent future police blunders. That new laws will continuously further integrate foreigners in order to avoid social malaise, this inquisitive, almost xenophobic look that is immediately posed on any foreigner without knowing their history.
Laws that will allow over time to mend the deep cracks of the social divide in France. We sincerely hope that tourists surprised by the tumult of the atrocities of the riots will return home safe and sound and that the residents of France will regain their ‘joie de vivre.’
Kind Regards,
The Editor🗞️🌍
Rachel Tcheungna 👱🏾♀️
Dear All,
Constructive Journalism is and remains our zeitgeist.
Our editorial aims to challenge and give a balance to the status quo established by the mainstream media.
Kind Regards,
The Editor🗞️🌍
Rachel Tcheungna 👱🏾♀️