2023-10-18 16:53:08
The Israeli-Palestinian conflict and its flood of tragic images have made headlines since Hamas’ surprise attack on October 7 against the Jewish state. The explosion is global. France is no exception and has raised the risk of terrorist alert to the highest level after the attack in Arras, which cost the life of a literature professor on Friday October 13. Since then, threats have multiplied: at the Louvre Museum, at the Château de Versailles or in French airports – Wednesday October 18, at least ten of them (those of Lille, Lyon-Bron, Nice, Toulouse, Beauvais, Nantes, Pau, Biarritz, Strasbourg, etc.) had to be evacuated.
In just over nine months, the country will host the Olympic and Paralympic Games (OPG). It is impossible to imagine that the global event will be protected from the risk of terrorism. How does the situation in the Middle East factor into discussions between state services on the security of the Paris Games? How can we guarantee the smooth running of the opening ceremony on the Seine? These questions should occupy a prominent place in the agenda of the interministerial committee, during which the security of the Games will be discussed, which will meet on Friday, October 20, in Matignon.
In the immediate future, the Games Organizing Committee (Cojop) and the public authorities are seeking reassurance. The president of Paris 2024, Tony Estanguet, assures that there is no plan B for the river parade, scheduled for July 26, 2024. “From the start, the authorities and Paris 2024 have ensured that security is the number 1 priority for the success of the Games. (…) We are not going to change our plans based on what is happening at the moment because, from the start, we have been at the best level in terms of security”, thus justified Monday at The team the boss of Cojop.
Read also: Article reserved for our subscribers Paris 2024: the Israeli-Palestinian conflict could weigh on the Olympic Games
On the side of the authorities, it is argued that the security system for the Games – “a priority concern of the organizers and the State” – constantly adjusts to the geopolitical context and the scale of threats. “Plan A integrates all threats”argues an Elysian source, who recalls that France experienced the wave of attacks in 2015 in the midst of Paris’ candidacy for the JOP.
Exchanges with embassies
Nearly 35,000 police officers and gendarmes will be mobilized to ensure security for the opening ceremony of the Games, which is expected to bring together some 500,000 spectators and dozens of heads of state and government. During the Olympic fortnight, more than 20,000 members of the police, assisted by thousands of private agents within the perimeter of the competition sites, will ensure the daily safety of athletes and spectators.
You have 32.83% of this article left to read. The rest is reserved for subscribers.
#security #system #Olympic #Games #adapted #threats #assures #State