I don’t know what to say except that France is a far less stable society than people think. Get off the beaten path and bad things can happen.
A friend who is a PhD scientist and businessman had to visit a smaller city in France about 7 years ago on business. He was out in the evening and was approached by a group of middle eastern youths. One of them knifed him in the face without warning. Truly maimed him. Awful story.
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Sic transit gloria mundi (so shut up and get back to work)