Row over immigrants' police escorts

Six French policemen were beaten up at an airport in Guinea last week while accompanying two illegal immigrants back to their country of origin, a police report said.

The incident could reignite a debate in France over the country's controversial policy of "escorting" illegal immigrants away on commercial flights, during which police sometimes use force to stop the migrants resisting their expulsion.

"Suddenly and violently, we were attacked," the police report said, describing the scene as the policemen tried to hand over the men to the authorities at Conakry airport while passengers and other people shouted insults at them.