French Punish Uber For Taxi Driver Violence Against Uber
This seems to be perfectly in the spirit of the times:
The French government has ordered police to crack down on Uber in Paris after violence erupted at demonstrations by taxi drivers against the online ride service.
Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve said Thursday that he asked the Paris police authority to issue a decree forbidding activity by UberPOP drivers. Similar decrees have already been issued in other major French cities.
Cazeneuve said vehicles using UberPOP will now "be systematically seized" by police when caught operating.
The UberPOP app was ruled illegal by the French government last year, but the U.S. company hasn't yet exhausted all legal recourse and has told its drivers to keep operating.
Responding to Cazeneuve's comments Thursday, Uber said it was "still assessing on which legal ground such measures could be implemented."
Uber said that it is up to the courts to decide what is legal and that no court has so far told it to stop operating.
Angry over Uber's incursion into their industry, taxi drivers held protests around Paris on Thursday that disrupted traffic near airports, major rail stations and key intersections, ensnaring American rock singer Courtney Love in the chaos.
This is the corporate state at work -- any business not explicitly approved by politicians will be suppressed.
