2023-06-22 09:49:36
The opening ceremony of the Olympic Games (JO), on the Seine, in Paris, on July 26, 2024, promises to be a headache in terms of security. But, for the Organizing Committee of the Games, the State and the local authorities, it will not be the only sticking point in this area.
From May 8, 2024, the Olympic torch relay, whose route is to be unveiled on Friday June 23, will also be the focus of their attention. And that for almost three months. Because until July 26 it will be up to the authorities to secure the long procession of the emblem of the Olympic Games in mainland France and in the overseas departments and territories.
“I ask you to pay particular attention to protest movements and claims likely to bring out actions with high media visibility”, had written, on April 28, the Minister of the Interior, Gérarld Darmaninin a letter addressed to the prefects.
Opponents of the pension reform have indicated that they intend to take advantage of the Olympics to be heard. Organizers and public authorities also have in mind certain environmental activists, who have already interrupted tennis matches at Rolland-Garros or a stage of the Tour de France.
In April 2008, before the Beijing Olympics, the course of the flame, which passed through Paris, had given rise to incidentsdue to numerous protests by Tibetans: the last relays had been removed, and the flame had ended its journey in a bus.
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Two levels of security
If the Paris 2024 Organizing Committee wants “avoid giving information on how [il va s’]organiser » to deal with these possible intrusions, he explains that an operational committee of the territories meets regularly “to talk about routes, safety…”. Mr. Darmanin had reminded him in his letter to the prefects that“a national risk analysis” is provided by the Olympic Intelligence Centre.
Certain elements of the security system are public. There will thus be two levels of security for this relay which, every day in the department concerned, between 8 a.m. and 7:30 p.m., will see a main convoy pass through four cities and a secondary convoy visit three emblematic sites.
These two convoys will be covered by “a traveling bubble” security: in this case, it will be a question of securing the object that is the flame, not the entire route. This “bubble” will be ensured by the public forces of the State (gendarmerie, national police). One and the same team will be in charge of it, from start to finish, the organizers having estimated that it was “important to have work habits”. It is up to the State to organize the rotation of personnel within this team during the nearly three months of the relay.
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