As rioting continues to consume the northern St. Louis suburb of Ferguson, Missouri, one foreign government has long considered the area too dangerous for its citizens to visit.
The French foreign ministry includes a travel advisory on its website that the northern part of St. Louis County between the city’s center and the St. Louis-Lambert Airport is far too risky for Frenchman to travel through.
The French travel advisory predates the current unrest.
According to a Washington Post report published November 2013, the translated French advisory reads: “Avoid northern area between the airport and the city center, but the airport shuttle is safe.”
Ferguson is located in between the city and the STL airport. Thus, it can be considered as part of the area France warned its citizens not to visit.
As of Thursday, the same advisory is still listed on the foreign ministry’s website.
The foreign ministry does not provide a reason for its travel warning, but it is possibly due to the high crime rates of north St. Louis.
Other areas that the French foreign ministry warn about include Chicago’s southside, Harlem, and southeast Washington, D.C.