PARIS: Malaysians living in and around the French capital are avoiding protest hotspots and changing their travel plans as demonstrations disrupt public transport, schooling and weekend activities.
For Ammar Ridzuan, 30, the disruption became real on Oct 17 when he was travelling through Paris with a friend and several stations on Metro Line 9 were suddenly announced as closed.
Ammar, who lives in Meudon, was forced to continue on foot and found himself near the edge of a student-led protest, where bicycles and scooters had been laid across the road to prevent police vehicles from entering.
"As I moved closer, more people gathered, and makeshift barricades were being built.
From a distance, I could smell the smoke similar to that of fireworks," he said.
He said the metro closures forced him to detour and walk between destinations, while police and security forces were visible around some of the affected areas.
"I saw France's riot-control police and gendarmerie near my destination and kept my distance from them," he added.
For Adilah Ahmad, 37, who lives in the Île-de-France region, the protests have meant constantly checking whether it is safe and practical to travel into Paris.
Her family has avoided central Paris amid planned strikes and regularly checks public transport updates before making plans.
"We have also had to postpone some of our weekend plans to visit Paris because of the strikes," she said.
She added that her family remained alert to developments through local news and social media.
Meanwhile, another Malaysian who only wanted to be known as Nurazimah, 51, said the protests disrupted her daughters' schooling when the entrance to their school was blocked.
However, she said the disruption was largely confined to affected areas and her family had been able to continue with its usual activities.
"I still go to the mall and cinema, but I avoid going to Paris on the day of the riots," she said.
Nurazimah, who lives in Draveil, urged Malaysians to remain calm, assuring them that the situation was fine and daily life continued as usual.
"Big riots are organised on specific dates. They are not happening daily, and life continues as usual," she said.
The unrest came amid demonstrations on Oct 17, when more than half a million people marched nationwide against the rising cost of living.
The rallies followed four weeks of student protests that had forced many schools across France to close.
With further cost-of-living demonstrations planned for Saturday, the French government warned it would not tolerate more violence following some of the worst rioting the country had seen in years.
© New Straits Times Press (M) Bhd