On July 28, two Russian women were refused entry to the Château de Vincennes, near Paris, because of their nationality. The security service would have applied an internal directive, coming from the Ministry of the Armed Forces.
The instruction was displayed, but without further details: “ In the current international context and within the framework of the security measures in force, access to the Château de Vincennes is now subject to the presentation of an identity document. “. It also appears on the website of this tourist monument located to the east of Paris, which was a residence of the kings of France and which now houses military archives.
The international context in question is the war in Ukraine. Since February, the Ministry of the Armed Forces has wanted to keep Russian nationals away from military buildings. But, in theory, museums are excluded. ” This rule was first enacted for strategic buildings, but in no case for museums, ensuresZiad Gebran adviser to the Minister for the Armed Forces. There is, I think, a lack of discernment in the application of the rule at the Château de Vincennes. We applied the rule strictly speaking, because there is an archive service. But without necessarily asking the question… »
An upset Russian journalist
One of the people banned from visiting, a 31-year-old journalist, told Agence France-Presse that she was ” upset by this prohibition. Arrived in France ” five months ago “, she had ” exactly fled Russia, because she was opposed to war “.
The Minister of the Armed Forces Sébastien Lecornu asked his services to provide details to the agents of these tourist places so that this incident does not happen again. The Sainte Chapelle du Château therefore remains open to all. For the archives service and other military locations, in the name of freedom of the press, Russian journalists will also be able to make requests for access and receive exemptions.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitri Peskov called, on August 9, France, but also Finland, which wishes to limit tourist visas issued to Russians, to “ regain their senses “. According to the National Institute of Statistics, 73,500 Russian immigrants lived in France in 2021.