A year ago, the head of the Paris Olympics openly declared that the French capital would be “the safest place in the world” when the games began on Friday. Tony Estranguet’s vision seems less far-fetched with squads of police patrolling the streets of Paris, fighter jets and soldiers ready to go, and the imposing security barrier erected like an iron curtain on both sides of the River Seine.
The vast police and military operation comes as the games, which take place from July 26 to August 11, present an unprecedented security challenge. The city has been the target of several extremist attacks and international tensions are high due to the war in Ukraine and Gaza.
Rather than building an Olympic Park, with venues clustered outside the city centre as at Rio de Janeiro 2016 and London 2012, Paris has chosen to host most of the events in the centre of the capital of two million people, with a few sports taking place in the suburbs that are home to millions more. Safeguarding the events is made even more complex by the decision to place temporary sports arenas in public areas and the unusual decision to hold the opening ceremony on boats on the River Seine.
Organisers are also concerned about potential cyberattacks, while human rights activists and critics of the Games are worried about the artificial intelligence technology used to monitor the games and the size of the security operation.
NUMBERS
A force of 45,000 police and gendarmes is supported by a contingent of 10,000 soldiers who have set up the largest military camp in Paris since the Second World War. The soldiers must be able to reach all Olympic venues in less than 30 minutes.
Military patrols in vehicles and on foot have been a common sight in crowded places in France since gunmen and suicide bombers acting on behalf of al-Qaeda and Islamic State attacked Paris in 2015. They have no power to arrest, but can tackle an attacker and restrain him until police arrive.
“At first it was strange that they saw us and they tried to avoid our presence by changing direction,” admitted General Eric Chasboeuf, deputy commander of the military anti-terrorist force.
“It’s part of the scene now,” he added.
Rafale fighter jets, surveillance flights monitoring space, surveillance drones, helicopters with snipers and equipment to disable drones will patrol the skies over Paris. During the opening ceremony, a 150-kilometre no-fly zone will be imposed around the capital. Cameras with artificial intelligence will be able to flag any potential risks.
France will receive assistance from more than 40 countries, which have sent 1,900 police officers.
TRUMP ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT
A possible lone attack has raised concerns among French officials, especially following the attempted assassination of former US President Donald Trump.
Some involved in the Olympic security operation said they were shocked that a man armed with a rifle was able to get within range of the former president.
“No one can guarantee that mistakes won’t be made. But it was shocking,” admitted General Philippe Pourqué, who oversaw the construction of the temporary camp southeast of Paris, which houses 4,500 soldiers from the Sentinel force.
With vast experience of deadly extremist attacks, France has armed itself with a dense network of police units, intelligence services and investigators who specialise in counter-terrorism and terror suspects can be detained for longer periods of time for questioning.
Hundreds of thousands of background checks have been conducted on ticket buyers, workers and thousands more involved with the Games and those applying to enter the Paris security zone. These checks led to the blocking of 3,900 people, who Interior Minister Gerlad Darmanin said were suspected of Islamic radicalisation, left- and right-wing extremism, criminal records and other security concerns.
“We are paying special attention to Russian and Belarusian citizens,” Darmanin said.
CRITICS
Digital rights activists are concerned that Olympic security cameras and artificial intelligence systems could lead to the end of privacy and other freedoms and could target homeless people who spend a lot of time in public places.
The Saccage 2024 group has been campaigning for months against the Paris Games and cited the scale of the security program as “an arsenal of repression” in a statement to The Associated Press.
“And this is not a French exception, far from it, rather a common occurrence in host countries,” the group said. “Is it reasonable to offer a month-long ‘festival’ to wealthier tourists at the cost of the legacy of heightened surveillance for the city’s and country’s residents?”
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