Bikers protest in 34 French cities

MOTORCYCLISTS halted traffic in 34 French towns and cities on Saturday afternoon in a protest against plans to ban older bikes from city centres.

In Paris, several thousand bikes blocked the périphérique ring road. Other major demonstrations brought traffic to a standstill in Lille, Bayonne, Limoges, Grenoble, Lyon and Bordeaux.

A new energy transition law in France allows big cities to ban motorbikes from before the year 2000.

The French Federation of Angry Bikers, FFMC, says such a measure would be "a European exception". Protesters displayed signs in their windshield with the message: "Motorbikes are a solution, not a pollution."

En ce moment sur le periph' #ffmc #Paris #manifmotard pic.twitter.com/too8shXamH— Josse (@asdillrow) October 10, 2015