The latest confrontations between French police and British people working in the Alps has led to a ski teacher spending 24 hours in jail, a student taking legal action against French police for assault, a ski school operator facing three months in jail, a demonstration by 50-100 British holiday makers outside Megeve police station and a call by a British MP for government action according to reports by the BBC, the Daily Mail and the Daily Telegraph.
The latest incident happened in Megeve last week when a long established British ski teacher who has worked in the resort for more than a decade is reported to have been arrested while videoing students by four gendarmes. He was kept in the local police station's jail cell for 24 hours while tourists held a vigil outside.
The French position is that although a highly qualified and respected ski teacher, the individual concerned does not hold the 'Eurotest' certification, agreed in 2003 as a requirement to be able to teach in France and he may therefore be imprisoned for up to a year when the case comes to court. His employer, a British man who also operates a small tour operation to Megeve and says he brings in an estimated €1m to the local economy each year, is reported to have been previously arrested by being handcuffed and led from the slopes and currently is under as three month suspended prison sentence. He is considering closing his 30 year old operation and returning to the UK.
A spokesman for BASI, the Association of British Snowsports Instructors, appeared to support the French police position when quoted on the BBC.
Some reports say that the Eurotest is difficult to pass however good a ski teacher you are as it involves completing a World Cup style ski descent; others say that ski schools are not allowed to operate in France unless they have at least 10 instructors qualified to Eurotest standard, ruling out small operations even when they do have the qualifications; and others that the dominant French ESF ski school does not insist all of its own ski teachers hold the Eurotest qualification. The ESF has previously distanced itself from the French court decision against Le Ski, although issued a statement saying they agreed with it, but did not financially gain from fines imposed.
Le Ski say this is untrue and the money awarded by the courts has gone to ESF. The ESF has not responded to J2ski requests for clarification on these issues.
In a separate incident that has come to light through the Daily Mail, a British student was allegedly assaulted by French gendarmes when she tried to photograph a ski teacher being questioned by police about his teaching qualifications. She is reported to now be taking legal action against the French police.
The incidents follow the court case against Le Ski for employing ski guides to show people around the slopes on familiarisation, non-teaching tours, who do not have adequate ski teaching qualifications according to French law. The cases is now subject to appeal by Le ski, who are backed by a dozen leading British tour operators, with ski guiding familiarisation tours by so called 'ski hosts' currently suspended. Le Ski has also operated in France for more than 30 years.
French police say the incidents do not reflect a change in attitude or campaign against non-French workers by them.
France is currently the leading destination nation for British skiers and some French resorts receive more British than French skiers.