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If you go by the numbers you are more likely to be a victim of a violent crime in the US than Europe.
There's more to violent crime than just gun crime. There are countries in Europe with higher rates of rape, murder and assault than the United States.
I've been to Paris twice. The first time was in 2007 while the Iraq war was raging and there was a definite anti-American vibe from the crowds of Muslims who were gathered on the sidewalks. They were especially intimidating outside the exits at Gare du Nord. I didn't notice any crimes around me during that trip and the worst thing I experienced was the general disdain for tourists at some of the attractions and businesses, but it was only a little worse than visiting NYC.
I visited Paris again in 2014 with my son and his girlfriend. Over the course of 3 days we saw 3 instances of cops aggressively slamming people on the ground and against brick walls. I don't know if crime has gotten worse, but these looked like stings against bag thieves and it was good to see the police watching out for tourists.
The intimidating crowds were mostly African on this visit and we had to pass through several large gatherings on our walk from the train station to our hotel. They glared at us, eyed my son's girlfriend, barely made enough room for us to pass as we were almost upon them and a few spat on the sidewalk as we passed. When we got to the hotel room my son said that he wished we hadn't even come to Paris.
While we sat on the steps of the basilica we watched them accost numerous tourists until some bicycle cops rode up and they scampered away. The cops seemed to be doing their best, but the lowlifes just ran away and returned when the cops pedaled to another part of the block.
Yet according to stats, crime was worse in early 1990's than today.
There were much more graffiti and there were still some area of inner city that were in a very bad state.
The area around Stalingrad was known for being a crack drug hub.
Paris in the early 1990s had already a very diverse population and many third world immigrants.
Paris had more terrorist attacks in 1995 than in 2015.
Was Paris more peaceful when a bomb exploded almost everyday in a popular shopping areas of the city?
The attacks in 1995 were all the responsibility of one group: GIA. They bombed the Metro and RER. In the 80s it was mostly Hezbollah. You're making the mid-1980s and mid-1990s sound like Beirut. It wasn't like that at all. But being a Jew in Paris as the country fills up with hostile Muslim youths and Islamic attacks grow more brazen by the day...yes, it's different. Very different.
I knew a lot of Jews in Paris. Many have decamped to Israel in the last 5 years or so, and others are either making plans to or are at least seriously considering it. That's how bad it's become.
Quote:
Originally Posted by golimar
You are fine if you are just visiting. The tourist sites are generally safe. It gets ugly when you have to live there and deal with the safety and social chaos on a daily basis.
Amen to this. The tourist areas of Paris are very safe. Some residential neighborhoods can get pretty dicey if you're not careful.
If the tourist crowds are down, it's the perfect time to go!
If you feel wary, maybe avoid going during Ramadan or during football matches, but you should visit Paris if you've never been, it's beautiful! Eat crepes, and Berthillon ice cream!
BTW, I would really love to visit Israel one day.
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