“Extremely serious alert”: the message that altered the night in Paris

On Monday night, nearly a million Parisians found a message on their cell phones whose header generated, at first glance, a concern: “Extremely serious alert”.

After the initial concern, peace of mind came when the clock struck 20 in the French capital: the Paris Police Prefecture decided to use the alert system called FR-Alert to inform the population that the website was already available to download the “Pass Jeux”, the famous QR that will be mandatory to travel around a perimeter close to the place where the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games will take place.

“It’s not a test. This is information,” explained the Ministry of the Interior and stressed that the time at which the message was sent was “to reach as many people as possible.” The situation generated a debate as to whether this system was well used, since the situation was far from being “extremely serious” as the message said.

The FR-Alert system is relatively new, because in June 2022 it was implemented at the national level, and until now it had been used in situations such as weather hazards, a forest fire or an industrial accident.

Beyond the debate, the concrete thing is that in order to travel around the anti-terrorist perimeter from 18 to 26 July, all people will have to have this QR, which after the opening ceremony will also be necessary to, for example, arrive by vehicle in the vicinity of the different sports venues.

A few weeks ago, security authorities had extended this perimeter to buildings overlooking the Seine River (boats will parade there with delegations) and the inhabitants of these establishments must register their guests.

The torch continues its journey amid extreme security measures: four detainees

The Olympic flame arrived at the port of Marseille on May 8 and will continue its journey through the different regions of France until it reaches Paris on July 26, where the pot will be lit to officially open the Olympic Games.

As confirmed by the French Interior Minister, Gérald Darmanin, in these first days of the tour, the police have already managed to dismantle more than 30 acts that sought to alter the normal traffic of the relay.

Darmanin explained that the objectives ranged from directly attacking the passage of the torch to placing flags or flying drones. So far, the Minister of the Interior confirmed that four people have been arrested for these situations.

Safety is one of the greatest concerns of the French authorities and the release of the torch, one of the focuses of greatest attention in the run-up to the Olympic Games.