BRIT tourists have been warned to stay away from France as Paris braces for another night of riots.
Paris in particular has been engulfed by violence following the shooting of Nahel Merzouk, 17, during a traffic stop on Tuesday.
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Chilling clips shared online show cars, buildings and even police stations being ravaged by raging infernos.
The disorder also descended into looting, as mobs were filmed raiding shops in the Chatelet shopping complex close to Notre Dame Cathedral.
Now, British holidaymakers have been advised by the government to avoid France as the country imposed curfews and traffic shutdowns to try and quell nationwide rioting.
The Foreign Office on Friday updated its travel advice as a response to the violence, saying: “Since 27 June, riots have taken place across France. Many have turned violent. Shops, public buildings and parked cars have been targeted
“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.”
Hundreds of thousands of Brits are likely to be in France at the moment, given how many millions visit the country each year – 13 million in 2018 from the UK alone.
While there is no curfew currently in place, tourists to busy cities – particularly Paris – would be advised to avoid certain areas at night following two days of intense riots.
President Emmanuel Macron is meanwhile facing growing calls to declare a state of emergency following the killing of 17-year-old Nahel.
But Macron was blasted for boogying at an Elton John gig while Paris descended into chaos amid protests over the “execution” of the teen.
The French PM appeared footloose during Wednesday’s concert while his nation was torched and looted by rioters.
Mr Merzouk was from a French Algerian background, and protestors say the teenager’s death exemplifies the discrimination that such ethnic minorities suffer.
Florian M., a 38-year-old French policeman who shot Mr Merzouk, is in custody and has been charged with murder.
Today, Macron chaired the French equivalent of a Cobra meeting — the second in two days — as he attempted to deal with the national crisis.
Afterwards, he said he was prepared to do ‘anything possible to restore public order’, including shutting down trains and buses in major cities including Paris overnight.
Marcon acted by putting an extra 40,000 people on the streets – including 5000 in Paris yesterday.
More than 875 people were arrested and at least 200 police officers injured as the government struggled to restore order on a third night of unrest.
Town halls, police cars, and trains were all torched nationwide, while gangs fought running battles with police, who responded with teargas and baton charges.
Meanwhile, armoured police vehicles rammed through the charred remains of cars that had been flipped and set ablaze in the Nanterre.
Mr Macron said social media was fuelling copycat violence, and that platforms such as Snapchat and TikTok needed to remove “the most sensitive content”.
The French leader said: “We sometimes have the feeling that some young people are living in the streets of the video games that have intoxicated them.”
And the President also urged parents to keep teenagers at home, rather than let them out looking for trouble.
More than two million British people are expected to travel to France over the next two months, as the peak summer holiday season commences.
France is the UK’s second most popular holiday destination after Spain, with July and August the busiest month of the year for tourism.
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