The prefect of police in Paris addressed the announcements made by Gérald Darmanin regarding security and traffic in the capital during the Olympics on Wednesday, March 6th. The Minister of the Interior had made statements the day before. Laurent Nuñez, the prefect of police in Paris, spoke on France Info about Darmanin’s announcements on Tuesday evening. This brought attention to a very real controversy for the residents of the capital: traffic. “For the setup of the ceremony, several Parisian bridges will be used by the Cojo [Olympic and Paralympic Organization Committee] to install stands and technical equipment. The big hassle will begin on July 1st,” warned the prefect of police.
Many Parisian bridges will be closed to traffic,” Laurent Nuñez stated, adding that Beauvau wanted to “maintain five crossing axes [in the center of Paris] until a few hours before the ceremony.” He also mentioned that tourists who plan to stay in the security perimeters of the events will need to “register on the platform to access the apartment they have rented,” just like residents and neighbors.
On Tuesday evening, Gérald Darmanin clarified the distribution of the audience during the opening ceremony of the Olympics in front of the senators during the Minister of the Interior’s hearing: 104,000 people below; 222,000 people above. This adds up to a total of 326,000 people, which is much higher than the capacity of the Olympic stadiums, around 80,000 seats, but lower than the 600,000 initially announced.
In addition to the 326,000 spectators on the banks, authorities estimate that about 200,000 people could watch the ceremony from their homes, as they live along the Seine. On July 26th, 45,000 police officers and gendarmes will be mobilized in the Paris region. The three intervention forces (Raid, BRI, GIGN) will be deployed on or near the river, and the airspace will be closed within a radius of 150 kilometers around the capital.
