[Mrluvaluva]

from www.metro.co.uk

for your information:

Britons travelling to Paris by Eurostar have been warned to be on their guard following serious rioting at the city's main station.

Travellers from London were caught up in running battles between police and youths at the Gare du Nord last night.

Tear gas was fired repeatedly, shops were looted, bins set on fire and commuters terrorised.

English student Neil Foster, 19, said: 'It's like a battle ground. Lots of people seem to be here for a fight, and the police are responding. The station is an extremely dangerous place to be.'

The trouble started after a youth of North African origin claimed to have been racially abused by a ticket inspector, whom he then punched.

When officers tried to arrest the attacker, other youths stepped in.

Luc Poignant, an official for the Force Ouvriere police union, said: 'The inspectors were hit with projectiles, as were the officers who came to assist them.'

Many of the rioters were wearing hooded tops and masks. Some swung metal bars and baseball bats.

As large crowds of chanting protesters built up in and around the Gare du Nord, police responded by spraying tear gas and charging the crowd to force them back.

By midnight there had been nine arrests and at least two police officers were seriously injured.

The authorities warned of further trouble. A police spokesman said: 'Anyone intending to travel via the Gare du Nord should be on their guard.'

The clashes forced the closure of the station's Metro and commuter lines. But the Eurostar terminal, surrounded by heavy security, remained open throughout.