France’s taxi drivers made their hatred for Uber very clear on Thursday with a massive protest that blocked access to Charles de Gaulle and Orly airports, train stations in Marseilles and Aix-en-Provence, and a major road that rings central Paris, among other locations. The cabbies are particularly displeased with the expansion of UberPop, which allows anyone who can pass a security check to act as a chauffeur, despite a French court’s recent ruling against the service. (A license to operate a cab in France can cost as much as $270,000, according to the New York Times.) Various reports — not to mention many social media dispatches — have the demonstrators burning tires, overturning vehicles, and fighting with other drivers.
Travelers were warned against driving to the airports, but many of those who didn’t get the memo were forced into the streets in an attempt to catch their flights:
Somehow, drama-magnet Courtney Love managed to get caught in the fray:
Eventually, Hollande (or someone) heard Courtney’s cries, and cops in riot gear were dispatched to break up the protests:
Meanwhile, French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve heard the drivers. Reuters reports that Cazeneuve ordered the police to enforce a ban against UberPop “given the serious public order disturbances and development of this illegal activity.”