The French government announced on Tuesday the mobilization of 10,000 law enforcement officers, half of whom are in Paris, to supervise the celebrations for the World Cup semifinal between France and Morocco on Wednesday.
“10,000 police officers will be deployed and gendarmes5,000 of which are in the Paris region, and in particular around the Champs-Elysees, and 5,000 outside the Paris region,” Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said.
On Saturday there were several incidents in Paris during the celebrations for the passage of France and Morocco to the semifinals, in the case of the North Africans after beating Portugal 1-0 and the Gauls against England 2-1, with 20,000 people gathered. on the Champs-Élysées, the scene of several incidents.
“We are going to frame these expressions of joy, often familiar, in a context of terrorist threat,” said the official, who guaranteed the reinforcement of security in relation to Saturday.
Contrary to the wishes of the mayor of the capital, the Champs-Élysées will not be closed to traffic, contrary to what will happen at various accesses to the Paris ring road and various train and metro stations.
Mayors across the country were advised to “inspect” areas likely to have the highest concentration of public, looking for dangerous objects, including fireworks and firecrackers, “especially in neighborhoods where incidents have been reported” on Saturday.
Dustbins, construction barriers, or any other material that can be thrown “should be removed,” especially in areas “likely to host large concentrations of people at the end of the game.”
Following the quarter-final challenges, there were some 100 arrests in Paris, “three-quarters of whom were French citizens”: nationally there were 170 arrests.
Available statistics refer to more than a million Moroccans living in France, with numerous marriages between citizens of both nationalities, while 54,000 Gauls reside in the North African country.
The former French protectorate has been independent since 1956, but strong cultural and economic ties remain, a fact that reinforces the special dimension of the World Cup challenge.
France, champion away from home in 1998 and Russia 2018, seeks to revalidate the scepter, which would be the third, while Morocco has already made history by being the first African country to reach the four strongest in a World Cup.
Source: TSF
