Advisory issued after bus with Chinese tourists attacked

The Consulate General of the People's Republic of China in Marseilles, France, has extended consular protection to a group of Chinese tourists who were attacked by rioters in Marseilles early on Friday morning.

According to a release on Sunday by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the consulate general helped the group to report to the local police and arranged medical treatment for those injured in the attack.

The consulate general has also established contact with the local Chinese community and workers in the tourism sector and asked them to be alert about their personal safety in view of the riots that have broken out following the killing of a teenager by police on Tuesday.

The travelers who were attacked have already left France and are on their way back to China, the release said.

On Friday, a bus carrying about 40 Chinese tourists was attacked by rioters in Marseilles. Some of the passengers suffered minor injuries in the attack.

Among the passengers was a 30-year-old woman with the surname Ma from East China's Zhe­jiang province and her husband, according to Hangbangxia, a local media outlet in Zhejiang's Hangzhou city.

The couple said those on the bus were all Chinese, except for the driver, who is Polish. The driver made an emergency U-turn to get the vehicle away from the rioters despite being injured when the windshield was smashed.

Five or six of the passengers were hit by stones thrown at the bus. The police said the rioters turned on the passing bus as they battled with local police at the scene.

China's Foreign Ministry and its embassy in France have asked Chinese nationals in France to pay closer attention to local situations and stay away from areas hit by demonstrations or rioting.

They were also told to protect themselves and their property from rioters. Chinese nationals visiting France have been asked to stay vigilant especially during outings.

They have been advised to seek help from local police and the Chinese embassy or consulate general in any emergency.

Police in Nanterre, a suburb of Paris, shot and killed the 17-year-old boy on Tuesday during a traffic stop.

As many as 719 people were arrested as of early Sunday as police worked overtime to quell the riots.