Near the Bir-Hakeim bridge, in the place of the knife attack that took place in the 15th arrondissement of Paris on December 2, 2023, the terrorist attack near the Eiffel Tower on Saturday, December 2, which cost the lives of a tourist of German and Filipino nationality, revives the thorny, even “worrying” issue of security during the Olympic and Paralympic Games (OPJ) that will take place in eight months, from July 26 to August 11, 2024.
This was utilized as the opening highlight, with a planned opening ceremony taking place outdoors on the Seine, between the Austerlitz bridge and the Iéna bridge. “Worrying” is the term used by Frédéric Péchenard, the vice-president of Les Républicains d’Île-de-France who has an authoritative opinion on the issue as the former general director of the National Police.
He stated that “there are a number of risks” weighing on the OPJ following the attack near the Bir-Hakeim bridge in the 15th arrondissement of Paris, a zone where events will take place. He called for a “possible plan B” for the opening ceremony, questioning ” the sufficiency of means” to “monitor tens of thousands of people, hundreds of apartments.”
This immediately raised responses. In response to these reservations, Minister of Sports Amélie Oudéa-Castéra assured on December 4th on France Inter that France “has the capacity to secure this event.” The relocation of the opening ceremony is not “a hypothesis” envisaged. “. She suggested a “number of adjustments to avoid the risk of terrorism that “exists.” As a result, the possibility of “reducing certain parts of [the] programming” was being considered, if necessary, for security reasons.
This includes reducing the number of spectators allowed to watch the ceremony in person. It should be reduced to 400,000 spectators, instead of the initially authorized 600,000 people. This is not sufficient for Frédéric Péchenard, who states his thoughts: “Let’s be clear… I am not hostile, as a matter of principle, to the opening ceremony. Prior to October 7th [date of the Hamas terrorist attack against Israel], its organization appeared difficult but achievable. Since then, I believe the situation has changed. We have had two attacks in France [in Arras on October 13 and in Paris on December 2]. And I don’t think Isreal and Hamas will come to an agreement before the OPJ.
So the tension will continue to exist for us. Possibly with other attacks. A double question will arise in May and June: will we feel capable to ensure the security of the ceremony? Will invited delegations accept the conditions of the ceremony, parading on boats in the open air? We are not sure about anything, so we need to consider a plan B.”
