Anti-Uber protest by French taxi drivers wreaks havoc

French taxi drivers blocked entrances to airports and disrupted traffic on Thursday in a nationwide protest againstride-hailing serviceUber.

Theprotesters blocked access to Paris's Charles de Gaulle and Orlyairports,as well askey train stations,forcingmany frustrated travellers to find alternative means oftransportation.

AmericansingerCourtney Love, whowas among some of the travellerscaught in the protest, took to Twitter to share her frustration.

Video and photos showingburned tires and overturned cars have also surfaced online.

Police said 70 cars were damaged andten people were arrested in total. Seven police officials were alsoinjured in the protest.

UberPop, Uber's lowest-cost service,has provoked a lot of anger among French taxi drivers and private chauffeurswho say theservice is ruining their livelihoods.

Rolled out in Paris four years ago, UberPophas been contesting legal battles ever since.

Despite an October 2014 law thatprohibitedUberPop, Uber drivers have continued to provide services to Parisians.Uberis arguing in the French courtthat the law is counter to the company'sright to freedom to do business.

France's Interior Minister BernardCazeneuveordered Paris police on Thursdayto ban allUberPopactivities"given the serious public order disturbances and development of this illegal activity."

Cazeneuvesaid hewould meet withUberPopofficials to tell them that "the government will never accept the law of the jungle."

This isn't the first timeFrench taxi drivers have protested againstUber. In2014, fivemajor taxi unions organized a nationwide protest against the company.

Uber has faced many problems around the world in recent years.

In the city of Guangzhou in China,police raided Uber offices and seized thousands of iPhones and other equipment.

Last week in Spain, a Barcelonajudge requested the help of the European Court of Justice in Luxembourg to help rule whether Uber should be regulated under transportation rules or as an information services company.

In March,protests by trade unions and civil society groups prompted the UN women's agency group to back out of a partnership with Uber, whichhadpledged to create jobs for amillion female drivers by 2020.

TheSanFrancisco-basedcompanyisreportedlyworthover$40millionandhasbackerssuchasGoldmanSachsandGoogle.The company says it has1 million users in France.