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French cabbies vent anger

The interior minister said UberPop should be shut down after violence was aimed at the service.

Police officers stand near a burned-out car during a violent protest by cabdrivers in Paris. Taxis are on strike around the country, snarling traffic and slowing access to Charles de Gaulle Airport. MICHEL EULER / AP
Police officers stand near a burned-out car during a violent protest by cabdrivers in Paris. Taxis are on strike around the country, snarling traffic and slowing access to Charles de Gaulle Airport. MICHEL EULER / APRead more
    by Elaine Ganley and Lori Hinnant, Associated Press, Inquirer
    Published 

PARIS - France's interior minister, in a bid to halt a day of sometimes violent protests by taxi drivers angered by UberPop, said Thursday that the low-cost car service must be shut down. He said orders would be given to seize vehicles.

Bernard Cazeneuve's announcement came after striking taxi drivers angered at a loss of income caused by cheap services like UberPop blocked highways, burned tires, and smashed cars around France.

Cazeneuve met with taxi union representatives before the announcement in a bid to restore order. He said 70 vehicles were damaged, seven police officers injured, and 10 arrests made on Thursday. Thirty legal complaints were filed against UberPop.

Among those caught up in the protests was singer Courtney Love, who tweeted her frustration, saying her ride from the airport was ambushed and she was rescued by two men on a motorcycle.

Cazeneuve said he would meet with UberPop officials to tell them their service "is illegal."

"It must, therefore, be closed," he said. "The government will never accept the law of the jungle."

Taxi drivers say that the U.S. ride-hailing company Uber is stealing their livelihood. Rising tensions exploded into violence on Thursday.

Travelers going to and from the airport walked alongside highways with their bags. With roads blocked, some never made it to the airport.

"they've ambushed our car and are holding our driver hostage," Love tweeted. "They're beating the cars with metal bats. this is France?? I'm safer in Baghdad."

It wasn't immediately clear what type of car Love was riding in.

Taxi drivers are angry, saying Uber's lowest-cost service is taking their livelihood away.

Despite repeated rulings against the low-cost UberPop service, its drivers have continued to ply French roads and the American company is actively recruiting drivers and passengers.