Taxi drivers in the French capital have been avoiding some of the areas of the city where many migrants live on the streets so as not to “shock” tourists coming into the city.
The drivers who pick up tourists from Roissy airport told French news outlet 20 Minutesthat the purposely avoid areas where homeless migrants live in makeshift tent camps as to not give the tourists a bad initial impression of the city,
with one driver named Mordi commenting: “The first image tourists have when arriving in Paris, the most beautiful city in the world, are the tents, refugees, drug addicts.”
“When I can, I avoid at most to go through the Porte de la Chapelle,” the 53-year-old, who has been driving tourists from both of the city’s major airports for over 30 years, said and added, “For a year, I prefer the Porte de Clichy or the Porte d’Asnières, especially at night.”
“When I really have no choice, I go through the Porte de la Chapelle, but I see that the tourists are not reassured, that they are afraid. Me too… There is a certain aggressiveness of people on the street. It’s not nice for anyone,” he said.
