Protesting prison guards clash with police near Paris

PARIS – Police firing tear gas have clashed with prison guards protesting working conditions in a notorious prison south of Paris.

The incidents Monday night at the sprawling Fleury-Merogis prison come after a few hundred workers blocked the entrance and set tires on fire to call attention to concerns about security and overcrowding.

Police sought to dislodge them from the blockade but met resistance and fired tear gas to try to disperse the crowd.

Regional authorities did not immediately comment on the violence.

Fleury-Merogis has housed violent Islamic extremists, and workers and prisoners have long decried violence and poor conditions in the prison. French media have reported that six prison guards were recently attacked there, prompting the latest protest.