There will be more security with the Olympic torch than when the Pope went to Paris

France will deploy six thousand troops of the security forces on May 8 for the arrival of the olympic flame to Marseille, the authorities announced, three months before the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

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The device planned in France’s second city will exceed the one deployed in September 2023 during the visit of the Pope Francisco to this Mediterranean port in the southwest of the country, which was then described as “exceptional”.

The Old Port of Marseille will be completely “hermetic” and safe to host the flame that will arrive aboard the Belem sailboat at around 7:45 p.m. local time on May 8, indicated the Minister of the Interior, Gérald Darmanin.

The authorities will deploy, among others, agents from the elite Raid corps, bomb technicians, members of nautical brigades and even an anti-drone device, in a context of “emergency attack”, the maximum alert level.

Although at the moment no specific threat was identified during this event, the minister specified that the security forces work in various scenarios, especially in relation to “radical Islamism.”

“We will implement everything provided for in the anti-terrorist laws to monitor and prevent” any incident, Darmanin added, referring to possible actions by the “extreme right and extreme left.”

Three months after Olympic Gamesthe main concerns focus on security, especially in the unprecedented opening ceremony on the Seine River on July 26, which represents a great challenge for the authorities.

The police prefect of Paris, Laurent Nuñez, indicated on Thursday that the anti-terrorist protection perimeter for this ceremony planned along six kilometers of the Seine would also extend to properties facing the river.

People residing in this perimeter must register on a digital platform to obtain an access permit, which would be granted after a prior security check, explained Nuñez.

This security perimeter will come into force on July 18 and will include the closure of metro and train stations in that area.

The Olympic Games in Paris are scheduled from July 26 to August 11, and the Paralympics from August 28 to September 8.

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