Some 326,000 spectators will be admitted to the banks of the Seine for the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games. A first in the history of games which also raises many questions about the security of such an event. Guest of the Fr2 television news, Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin indicated that the emphasis would be placed in particular on threats coming from the sky.
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The number of spectators who will be able to attend the river parade of the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games along the Seine was set at 326,000 people, including 222,000 with free tickets, the French Minister of the Interior announced on Tuesday. Gerald Darmanin specified that 104,000 paying spectators would be accommodated on the low platforms and certain bridges and 222,000 on the high platforms.
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Closed airspace
Next Friday July 26, the day of the opening ceremony of the Games, in an extremely rare occurrence, the airspace will be completely closed within a radius of 150 km around Paris. This is to avoid any intrusion by enemy aircraft.
“ The day of the opening ceremony, 150 km from Paris, explains Gérald Darmanin, Minister of the Interior, at Roissy, Orly, Beauvais airport, Le Bourget… planes will not be able to fly from 7 p.m. until midnight to ensure that no plane, no aircraft, disrupts the opening ceremony. This cutoff, if I dare say, of the airspace, guarantees us its security. » And this closure of the airspace is a first, according to the Minister of the Interior.
Another aerial threat too, in a perimeter even closer to the ceremony: that of drones. Gérald Darmanin assures that France has all the necessary know-how. It is the Ministry of the Armed Forces which will oversee the fight against drones. “ We also have an anti-drone fight which is very important: the drone loaded with explosives is undoubtedly the attack of tomorrow… France guaranteed the success of the anti-drone fight in Qatar during the Football World Cup. It was French gendarmes who did it, so we know how to do it! »
A threat that comes from the sky but also from the balconies overlooking the Seine since more than 200,000 people are expected to gather there to attend the ceremony. Several days in advance, residents will be checked as well as traders.
For the moment, no serious threat has been identified, assures the minister. On the security side, the government will mobilize considerable resources for the ceremony, from 45,000 members of the internal security forces in Ile-de-France. For the first time, elite police and gendarmerie units (200 from the Raid, 350 from the GIGN and 100 from the BRI) will work together.
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All those who will participate in the Games will have been “screened” by the services. 1 million security investigations are planned. “ 89,000 have been carried out to date, giving rise to 280 notices of incompatibility, including six S files », specified Mr. Darmanin, who came earlier to present to the Senate Law Committee the entire security system for the opening ceremony. “ 2,000 municipal police officers » will be mobilized in Paris. The needs for private security personnel are estimated between “ 18,000 and 24,000 people “.