Police strike in Paris begs the question: How safe will the Summer Olympics be? Demos against right-wing extremists: Tens of thousands protest in Germany

It starts badly. 30,000 police officers would provide security for the two-week Summer Games in Paris, flanked by private security guards – 25,000 per day. More than 40,000 law enforcement officers are needed for the opening ceremony along the Seine alone.

Will they be there at the end of July? The French Flics are sceptical. Thousands of people followed the strike call from their unions Alliance and Synergies Officers this week and took to the streets in Paris and cities such as Bordeaux, which are about to send a police contingent to the capital. In Strasbourg, law enforcement officers blocked the Rhine bridge from Germany; At Paris Roissy-Charles de Gaulle airport, their protests caused delays of up to an hour.

France had not seen such a mobilization by national gendarmes for a long time. The reason is: many law enforcement officials fear they will have to pay for inadequate preparation for Olympic security. And that Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin literally means his public promise that the police would be present “100 percent” – so that they can’t even sleep anymore.

They have to forget about holidays and weekends during the games anyway. “Paris hosted the 2017 Olympic Games, but security measures are still not in place,” police officer Laura complained during one of the many meetings. She demands a bonus of 2000 euros.

Quick bleach for security guards

It is also unclear whether organizers will be able to hire 25,000 security officers. Tens of thousands of unemployed and students were contacted. You only need to complete a quick 106 hour whitening session. Skeptics wonder if this is serious. Couldn’t threats from the Islamist scene be smuggled in? The threat has increased due to the international situation and especially the war in the Middle East. This was evident at the end of last year from two knife attacks in Paris and the provincial city of Arras. One of the perpetrators referred to the terrorist militia Islamic State.

The last riots in the suburbs were only a few months ago. The possibility that the German farmers’ protests could spread to France has not been ruled out in Paris. Experts warn that not only the sports arenas need to be secured, but also the enormous infrastructure of a metropolis with twelve million inhabitants. The local prefect has warned President Emmanuel Macron’s government about “worrying” traffic congestion on public transport.

The opening ceremony on July 26 is of most concern. This requires the Seine between the Bastille and the Eiffel Tower to be monitored for six kilometers – on the water with mine divers and in the air with drone defenses. For the first time, the Overture to the Olympic Games will not take place in a well-insulated sports arena. When the now-replaced city prefect Didier Lallemand heard about the project along the Seine, he publicly declared that it was “unreasonable” from a security policy perspective. Behind the scenes, as L’Express magazine reported, he allegedly exclaimed to the Olympic Organizing Committee and Mayor Anne Hidalgo: “You’re all crazy!”

The realization is slowly gaining ground: 55,000 security guards are not enough for this mega show. After the last terrorist attack, Macron had to deny that he had a ‘Plan B’ drawn up to replace the gigantic opening ceremony. Only the number of boats must be reduced from approximately 200 to 162; smaller national delegations must therefore join forces.

If the gendarmes resist extra work and not enough security guards can be found, there is only one solution, which is what London also chose for its games twelve years ago: the army must intervene. The government is keeping a low profile; However, the military governor of Paris, General Christophe Abad, confirmed that he was building a military camp for 5,000 uniformed men in the urban forest in eastern Paris, the Bois de Vincennes. Another could follow in the west of the capital. All this in favor of Olympic peace – and the relief of law enforcement. (aargauerzeitung.ch)