The resigning Minister of the Interior believes, in an interview with the Journal du Dimanche this Saturday, July 20, that there is no “characterized threat” surrounding the Olympic Games.
Six days before the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games, Gérald Darmanin wants to be reassuring. The Minister of the Interior, although resigning, explains the work of the security services in advance in order to remove all dangerous profiles, in an interview given to Sunday Journal this Saturday, July 20.
960,000 administrative investigations were reportedly conducted, leading to the exclusion of 4,340 people, including “19 individuals registered in the file of alerts for the prevention of radicalization of a terrorist nature (FSPRT)”, 359 people subject to an obligation to leave the territory (OQTF), 139 on the S file, “257 radical Islamists, 181 members of the far left and 95 of the far right”. In total, nearly a million people, including athletes, coaches, journalists, volunteers, security agents and local residents, were subject to a security investigation.
The opening ceremony
The Minister of the Interior also wants to reassure regarding the opening ceremony, which will take place on July 26 on the Seine. This is the first time that an Olympic Games opening ceremony will not be held inside a sports arena, which is easier to secure. 326,000 spectators are expected on the quays and bridges of Paris, but Gérald Darmanin assures that “the ceremony will take place in the format announced by the President of the Republic. Apart from the flow of the river and the low risk of bad weather, there is therefore – to date – no specific threat identified for the Games”. Gérald Darmanin nevertheless emphasizes the need to “remain very humble and focused”, concerning security which cannot be totally guaranteed.