PARIS (Reuters) - French riot police clashed on Friday with striking prison guards who accuse the government of doing little to counter spiraling violence and Islamist activism inside the country’s overcrowded jails.

The scuffles outside Fleury Merogis prison, one of Europe’s largest with 3,800 inmates, coincided with news from a jail in Corsica that two security guards were attacked and injured by inmates. It is the latest in a series of assaults that have overshadowed France’s prison system in the past week.

“We’re fed up. We’re taking a thumping inside and now we’re being thumped outside,” jail guard Thibault Capelle said after police advancing with shields and using tear gas broke up a picket at the entrance of Fleury Merogis, on the southern outskirts of Paris.

The protests there and at many other prisons began a week ago, after an Islamist militant jailed over the killing of 21 people in Tunisia in 2000 slashed guards on the head and torso with a pair of scissors in northern France.

With pressure mounting, President Emmanuel Macron said last week a plan would be presented in February to tackle the issue. It would go beyond an existing promise to build thousands of new prison cells, he said.

France’s prison population has more than doubled since the 1970s, to around 70,000, making it one of the highest in Europe.

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The incident in Corsica prompted rapid publication of a statement of sympathy by Justice Minister Nicole Belloubet, who was accused of responding sluggishly to earlier assaults.

Maxime Coustie, representative of staff at Corsica’s Borgo jail, said several inmates struck one guard in the back with a sharp instrument and another in the face. Both were hospitalized.

One of the assailants had attracted the attention of prison authorities after beginning to practise a more extreme form of Islam.

Radicalization among petty criminals is a growing concern in France after Islamist attacks that have killed close to 250 people in Paris and other cities over the past three years.

In addition to more staff and resources, prison guards want the country’s 504 convicted Islamist militants isolated from other prisoners, said Wilfried Fonck, a jailguard unionist.

Fleury Merogis, a sprawl of gloomy gray concrete dating to the 1960s, houses far more prisoners that it was built to take, making it a frequent target of international criticism.

It is also the solitary-confinement home of Salah Abdeslam, suspected of being the sole survivor of an Islamist hit-squad that killed 130 people in Paris in late 2015.</s>French police fired tear gas to break up a picket line of striking prison guards outside Europe’s biggest prison on Friday as unions pressed a fourth day of strikes across France over security concerns.

 The scuffles took place outside the Fleury-Merogis facility just south of Paris as prison guards protested after a string of brutal attacks that have focused a spotlight on security problems and radicalization inside often overcrowded French facilities.

 Outside the entrance to the prison, which houses more than 4,300 inmates, around 150 striking guards had set up a barricade of burning tires and wooden pallets to prevent their colleagues from getting to work, an AFP correspondent said.

 But a contingent of riot police quickly broke through the picket line, firing tear gas to disperse the demonstrators and allowing those that wanted to work to get inside as the protesters were held behind a police barrier, the correspondent said.

 “The CRS (riot police) charged and fired tear gas at us but we tried to resist,” a 28-year-old guard who gave his name only as Sacha told AFP.

 On Thursday, around 120 prisoners had refused to return to their cells after their midday walk in the yard before being brought back in with the help of intervention teams, France’s prison administration service said. Six prisoners who are thought to have led the protest were sent off to the punishment block, a union source said.

 Despite talks to resolve the issue that began Tuesday and pledges by President Emmanuel Macron to outline plans for an overhaul of French prisons by the end of February, the unions decided to continue the industrial action.

 The strike began on January 11 after a German convict, a former top al-Qaeda militant, attacked three guards with scissors and a razor blade at a high-security prison in northern France.

 On Thursday, guards at more than 123 facilities were “mobilized,” the UFAP-UNSA and the CGT unions said.

 Figures provided by the prisons’ administration said 87 of the country’s 188 detention facilities — around 46 percent — had been affected to one degree or another by the strike action. Union officials have been holding talks with the Justice Ministry over longstanding complaints by guards of low pay, insufficient staffing, and overcrowding at prisons.—Agencies</s>French police have clashed with striking prison guards at Europe’s largest jail on the fourth day of walkouts across the country over security concerns.

Officers fired teargas as scuffles broke out at the Fleury-Mérogis prison, south of Paris, where guards are protesting after a series of attacks on staff.

The French president, Emmanuel Macron, has promised to draw up a national prisons plan to address concerns by the end of February.



The attacks that sparked the guards’ protest have highlighted security problems and radicalisation inside often overcrowded French prisons. 



In the latest outbreak of violence, two guards were injured after an attack by prisoners at the Borgo jail in Corsica, the justice ministry said on Friday.

Outside the entrance to Fleury-Mérogis jail, which has more than 4,300 inmates, about 150 striking guards built a barricade of burning tyres and wooden pallets to prevent their colleagues from getting to work

A unit of CRS riot police broke through the picket line, firing teargas to disperse the demonstrators and allowing other staff to enter the prison while striking guards were held behind a barrier. 



“The CRS charged and fired teargas at us but we tried to resist,” a 28-year-old guard who gave his name as Sacha told AFP.



On Thursday, about 120 prisoners refused to return to their cells after their midday walk in the yard. They were brought back in with the help of specially trained intervention teams, France’s prison administration service said.



Six prisoners who are thought to have led the protest were sent to the punishment block, a prison officers’ union source said.

Despite talks to resolve the protests and pledges by Macron to outline plans for an overhaul of French prisons, the unions decided to continue the industrial action.

The strike began on 11 January after a German convict, a former top al-Qaida militant, attacked three guards with scissors and a razor blade at a high-security prison in northern France.



On Thursday, guards at more than 123 facilities were “mobilised”, the UFAP-UNSA and the CGT unions said.



Figures provided by the prisons’ administration said 87 of the country’s 188 detention facilities had been affected by the strike action.

In a statement this week, Force Ouvrière, one of the unions involved in the strike, said two-thirds of France’s prisons had been hit by industrial action. 



Prison staff were protesting against “the absence of consideration for personnel and an absence of equipment, notably security material in penitentiary establishments”.



Union officials have been holding talks with the justice ministry over longstanding complaints of low pay, insufficient staffing and overcrowding at prisons.



Guards warn that their safety is at risk after several attacks by prisoners linked to Islamic extremism or under surveillance because of the risk of radicalisation.</s>Two French prison guards were attacked by knife-wielding prisoners on Friday, one of whom is believed to have been a radicalized Islamist. The latest attack comes as guards clashed with riot police during a strike over security concerns.

The attack on prison guards, the fourth in recent days, took place at Borgo jail on the island of Corsica.

Two wardens were hurt when three prisoners charged at them, at least one of whom was armed with a knife. Both were taken to hospital with one suffering a stab wound to the neck.

Initial reports in the French press suggest one of the inmates was a known Islamist extremist.

The inmates linked to the three other recent attacks were also known to have become radicalized raising new fears about how French prison authorities should deal with these dangerous prisoners.

Earlier on Friday French police fired tear gas to break up a picket line of striking prison guards outside Europe's biggest prison as unions pressed a fourth day of strikes across France over security concerns.

READ ALSO: 'We risk our lives for €1.5k a month' French prison guards on edge over radicalized inmates

The scuffles took place outside the Fleury-Merogis facility just south of Paris as prison guards protested after a string of brutal attacks that have

 focused a spotlight on security problems and radicalisation inside often overcrowded French facilities.

Outside the entrance to the prison, which houses more than 4,300 inmates, around 150 striking guards had set up a barricade of burning tyres and wooden pallets to prevent their colleagues from getting to work, an AFP correspondent said.

But a contingent of riot police quickly broke through the picket line, firing tear gas to disperse the demonstrators and allowing those that wanted to work to get inside as the protesters were held behind a police barrier, the correspondent said.

"The CRS (riot police) charged and fired tear gas at us but we tried to resist," a 28-year-old guard who gave his name only as Sacha told AFP

On Thursday, around 120 prisoners had refused to return to their cells after their midday walk in the yard before being brought back in with the help of intervention teams, France's prison administration service said.

Six prisoners who are thought to have led the protest were sent off to the punishment block, a union source said.

Despite talks to resolve the issue that began Tuesday and pledges by President Emmanuel Macron to outline plans for an overhaul of French prisons by the end of February, the unions decided to continue the industrial action.

The strike began on January 11 after a German convict, a former top Al-Qaeda militant, attacked three guards with scissors and a razor blade at a high-security prison in northern France.

On Thursday, guards at more than 123 facilities were "mobilised", the UFAP-UNSA and the CGT unions said.

Figures provided by the prisons' administration said 87 of the country's 188 detention facilities had been affected to one degree or another by the strike action -- around 46 percent.

Union officials have been holding talks with the justice ministry over longstanding complaints by guards of low pay, insufficient staffing and overcrowding at prisons.

Guards now also warn that their safety is at risk following several attacks by inmates linked to Islamic extremism or under surveillance because of the risk of radicalisation.</s>The prison guards in France are in hospital after they were attacked at Borgo jail on the island of Corsica when three prisoners charged at them. Prison guards have also clashed with riot police during a strike over their security concerns. The clash happened outside a prison close to Paris and highlighted the security problems and radicalisation inside the overcrowded French facilities.

French police were forced to fire tear gas to break up a picket line of striking prison guards outside Europe’s biggest prison. Around 150 prison guards had set up a wall of burning tyres to stop their colleagues from getting to work.

The unions decided to continue with industrial action despite talks to resolve the issues and a pledge made by President Emmanuel Macron to improve security at French prisons. Justice Minister Nicole Belloubet described it as "intolerable" and flew to Corsica to visit the prison on Friday afternoon.

Around 500 of the 70,000 inmates in French prisons have been sentenced for crimes connected with Islamist terror. One of the guards has suffered a stab wound to the neck during the knife attack and the other to the head, but neither of their lives are in danger.

Maxime Coustie, a representative of the union l'Ufap-Unsa Justice, said: ”This is a big assault, one of the two guards was unconscious and the attacker is a prisoner who already was known for his bad behaviour." According to Ms Coustie, one of the attackers shouted “Allah Akbar” when committing the attack. One of the attackers was in his thirties and serving a sentence for intentional assault, which resulted in death without intent following an incident in a disco in 2012.

There have been three other attacks in the same prison in Corsica, which has raised fears about how French prison authorities deal with dangerous prisoners. The guards have accused the government of doing too little to counter the spiralling violence and Islamist activism inside the overcrowded jails. Talking of the clashes with the police, jai guard Thibult Capelle said: “We're fed up. We're taking a thumping inside and now we're being thumped outside.” The protests at Fleury Marogis prison and at many other prisons began a week ago, after an Islamist militant jailed over the killing of 21 people in Tunisia in 2000 slashed guards on the head and torso with a pair of scissors in northern France.</s>French police fired tear gas to break up a picket line of striking prison guards outside Europe’s biggest prison today as unions pressed a fourth day of strikes across France over security concerns. — Reuters picPARIS, Jan 19 — French police fired tear gas to break up a picket line of striking prison guards outside Europe’s biggest prison today as unions pressed a fourth day of strikes across France over security concerns.

The scuffles took place outside the Fleury-Merogis facility just south of Paris as prison guards protested after a string of brutal attacks that have focused a spotlight on security problems and radicalisation inside often overcrowded French facilities.

Outside the entrance to the prison, which houses more than 4,300 inmates, around 150 striking guards had set up a barricade of burning tyres and wooden pallets to prevent their colleagues from getting to work, an AFP correspondent said.

But a contingent of riot police quickly broke through the picket line, firing tear gas to disperse the demonstrators and allowing those that wanted to work to get inside as the protesters were held behind a police barrier, the correspondent said.

“The CRS (riot police) charged and fired tear gas at us but we tried to resist,” a 28-year-old guard who gave his name only as Sacha told AFP.

Yesterday, around 120 prisoners had refused to return to their cells after their midday walk in the yard before being brought back in with the help of intervention teams, France’s prison administration service said.

Six prisoners who are thought to have led the protest were sent off to the punishment block, a union source said.

Despite talks to resolve the issue that began Tuesday and pledges by President Emmanuel Macron to outline plans for an overhaul of French prisons by the end of February, the unions decided to continue the industrial action.

The strike began on January 11 after a German convict, a former top Al-Qaeda militant, attacked three guards with scissors and a razor blade at a high-security prison in northern France.

Yesterday, guards at more than 123 facilities were “mobilised”, the UFAP-UNSA and the CGT unions said.

Figures provided by the prisons’ administration said 87 of the country’s 188 detention facilities had been affected to one degree or another by the strike action — around 46 per cent.

Union officials have been holding talks with the justice ministry over longstanding complaints by guards of low pay, insufficient staffing and overcrowding at prisons.

Guards now also warn that their safety is at risk following several attacks by inmates linked to Islamic extremism or under surveillance because of the risk of radicalisation. — AFP</s>(AP Photo/Michel Spingler). Smoke rises as a fire set up by penitentiary staff outside the prison in Vendin le Vieil, northern France, Tuesday, Jan.16, 2018. Protesting French prison guards have pushed back against riot police and shouted down the just...

PARIS (AP) - Two prison guards were seriously injured Friday by inmates on the French Mediterranean island of Corsica, an attack that threatened to further ignite national protests by prison guards who are demanding more security, more staff and safer handling of violent inmates.

Justice Minister Nicole Belloubet immediately traveled to the Borgo prison in northern Corsica where the attack took place. Justice Ministry officials, meanwhile, were meeting Friday evening with union representatives after the Workers' Force union, which is leading the protests, called on guards around the country to "put down their keys," or walk off the job, in the days ahead.

Guards at 11 French prisons reportedly already walked off the job on Friday, Emmanuel Baudin, head of the prisons arm of the Workers Force Union, told BFM TV.

Guards at 80 of France's 188 prisons were taking part on Friday in blockages - ranging from work slowdowns to protests, according to a Penitentiary Administration official. He asked not to be identified because he was not authorized to speak publicly.

The two guards at Borgo were hospitalized in serious condition and four inmates, including one suspected of being radicalized, were arrested after gendarmes moved in to secure the prison, the official said. At least one "sharp-pointed" weapon was used in the attack, he said.

The guards' lives were not in danger but Belloubet said their mental and physical states were worrisome.

The attack was the latest by inmates on guards at prisons across France. In four of five prison attacks by inmates in just over a week, at least one of the inmates was radicalized or suspected of being so.

"For several years ... there are all the ingredients so that a crisis this important explodes," said Adeline Hazan, the controller general of the French prison system, whose job is to ensure inmates' rights.

She listed problems like prison overcrowding, too few guards and the "difficult and complex management" of prisoners who have been radicalized. Speaking on BFM TV, Hazan said there are currently 70,000 prisoners for 60,000 prison places.

The national protest by prison guards was launched after an Islamic radical inmate wanted by the United States attacked three guards with a knife at a high-security prison in northern France last week.

Authorities say the attack at Vendin-le-Vieil was carried out by Christian Ganczarski, a German who converted to Islam and was sentenced to 18 years in prison for his involvement in a 2002 attack on a synagogue in Tunisia that left 21 people dead.

Ganczarski, 51, is also suspected by the United States of providing critical support to Osama bin Laden before the Sept. 11 attacks. He was charged Wednesday in a Manhattan federal court with conspiring to kill Americans and supporting terrorists. The United States is expected to ask France to extradite him.

In France, Ganczarski was given new preliminary charges of attempted murder following the knife attack. He was also transferred to another prison in northern France, according to Guillaume Pottier, a prison union leader.

The Prison Administration official said attacks against guards by inmates are not uncommon, with 4,000 last year. He insisted that the recent attacks this week are not linked to the guards' protests, in which guards have pushed back against riot police and shouted down the justice minister.

In response to the protests, President Emmanuel Macron on Monday ordered the government to come up with a "global penitentiary plan" by the end of February that would modernize French facilities and prison intelligence-gathering. He also suggested a "massive" shift to alternative punishment such as obligatory public service or electronic bracelets.

Copyright 2018 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.</s>Two guards at a French prison in Corsica have been attacked and seriously injured by a radicalized inmate, a local prosecutor and a prison union said. The perpetrator reportedly shouted 'Allahu Akbar' while attacking the guards.The incident took place in Borgo Prison on Friday morning, Prosecutor of Bastia City Caroline Tharot said, as cited by AFP. The type of weapon used in the attack was not specified.UFAP-UNSA penitentiary union confirmed in a statement that the inmate was indeed radicalized. It is not clear whether he was radicalized before being jailed or while serving his sentence.Both guards are in hospital, one with stab wounds to the face and back.Maxime Coustie, a representative of a local prison union told AFP. The guard who was knocked out has regained consciousness, the union said.The detainee reportedly shouted "Allahu Akbar" while attacking the guards, Corse Matin newspaper said, citing an official from the prison union. The man was in prison for beating a man to death in a scuffle outside a nightclub.It comes days after similar assaults by inmates triggered protests by prison guards. Last week, a former senior Al-Qaeda member, 51-year-old Christian Ganczarski, attacked and injured guards with a scissors and razor blade at a high-security prison in Vendin-le-Vieil. Several days later, a convicted murderer attacked and injured several guards in Mont-de-Marsan jail.The incidents triggered nationwide protests by prison guards, who have demanded better working conditions and tighter security.On Thursday, more than 120 inmates at Fleury-Mérogis, the biggest prison in Europe, refused to return to their cells.On Friday morning some 150 prison guards staged a protest against the brutal attacks and radicalization of the inmates. The protesters set up a barricade of burning tires to prevent their colleagues from entering the prison; police responded with tear gas to disperse the demonstrators. "The CRS [riot police] charged and fired tear gas at us but we tried to resist," a 28-year-old guard told AFP.Fleury-Mérogis, home to 4,300 inmates, is notorious as a center of Islamic radicalization. Among its infamous inmates is Salah Abdeslam, the only living jihadist behind the deadly Paris attacks of November 2015. Two Islamists later killed by police - Amedy Coulibaly, one of the Islamists who attacked a kosher store in Paris in January 2015, and Chérif Kouachi, who was behind the Charlie Hebro assaults - were also imprisoned there.</s>PARIS (AP) - France's justice ministry says two prison guards have been injured in Corsica after an attack launched by three inmates, amid widespread protest over working conditions across the country.

A spokesman for the French penitentiary system said Friday that the violence occurred at the Borgo prison.

The two guards have been hospitalized but the spokesman said their injuries aren't life-threatening, adding that he had no details about the attack or the assailants.

Smoke rises as a fire set up by penitentiary staff outside the prison in Vendin le Vieil, northern France, Tuesday, Jan.16, 2018. Protesting French prison guards have pushed back against riot police and shouted down the justice minister amid demonstrations at several prisons over violent inmates and overcrowding. (AP Photo/Michel Spingler)

French prison guards have been protesting outside scores of jails across France in recent days, demanding more security, more staff and safer handling of violent inmates.

The national protest movement was launched by the country's main prison worker unions after a radicalized inmate attacked three guards with a knife at a high-security prison in northern France last week.</s>France's justice ministry says two prison guards have been injured in Corsica after an attack launched by three inmates, amid widespread protest over working conditions across the country.

A spokesman for the French penitentiary system said Friday that the violence occurred at the Borgo prison.

The two guards have been hospitalized but the spokesman said their injuries aren't life-threatening, adding that he had no details about the attack or the assailants.

French prison guards have been protesting outside scores of jails across France in recent days, demanding more security, more staff and safer handling of violent inmates.

The national protest movement was launched by the country's main prison worker unions after a radicalized inmate attacked three guards with a knife at a high-security prison in northern France last week.
Outside the Fleury-Mérogis prison, French police clash with prison guards who are striking over the detention conditions in French jails.