PARIS– Three days before the start of the 2024 OlympicsThe French interior minister said that around 1,000 people suspected of possibly interfering with a foreign power were prevented from participating in the Olympics – one of the security challenges that Paris is cracking down on in its aim to keep the Games safe for athletes and fans.
About 1 million background scanning screened Olympic volunteers, workers and others involved in the Games, as well as those who applied for passes to enter Paris’ most tightly controlled security zone – along the banks of the Seine – ahead of the opening ceremony on the river on Friday.
The checks prevented around 5,000 people from participating, Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said on Tuesday. Of these, “there are 1,000 people we suspect of foreign interference – we can say espionage,” Darmanin said.
Darmanin, who remains as caretaker until a new government is formed after this month’s legislative elections that denied President Emmanuel Macron’s centrist coalition has a majorityhas repeatedly pointed to suspicions of Russian-backed interference.
“We are here to ensure… that sport is not used for espionage, for cyber attacks or to criticize and sometimes even lie about France and the French,” Darmanin said.
He added that “interfering and manipulating information” is not coming from Russia only, but also from some other countries, which he did not mention. He also did not provide further information about the suspected meddling.
“That’s why we are alert and want them to know that we are not naive,” he said.
Others were barred from the Olympics after background checks were flagged for suspected Islamic radicalization, left- or right-wing political extremism, significant criminal records and other security concerns, Darmanin said.
“We didn’t think it was a good idea for these people to be stadium administrators, volunteers or to follow (sports) teams. Out of 1 million people, 5,000 is not a lot, and this shows the in-depth work of the Ministry of the Interior,” he said.
Paris is deploying 35,000 cops every day for the Olympics, which run from Friday until August 11, with a peak of 45,000 for the opening ceremony. In addition, 10,000 soldiers participate in security operations in the Paris region.
France too is receiving help from more than 40 countries that, together, sent at least 1,900 police reinforcements.
“Of course, we are particularly protective of the Ukrainian national team, which is obviously under considerable threat,” Darmanin said.
The Interior Minister had previously said that Israeli athletes would be protected 24 hours a day by the elite GIGN police unit, which is responsible for counterterrorism and protecting government officials, among other things.
Darmanin also praised the security work of tens of thousands of police officers, firefighters, bomb disposal experts, intelligence service agents and private security personnel.
In a handwritten note addressed to them, Darmanin said that “the biggest global event a country can organize” is “finally” here, after four years of preparation, but noted the unprecedented security challenges.
“Your task will not be easy,” Darmanin said in the letter published on the social platform X on Monday night. Paris has repeatedly suffered deaths extremist attacksand international tensions are high due to wars in Ukraine It is Gaza.
Olympic organizers also concerns about cyber attackswhile rights advocates and critics of the Games are concerned about the use of Paris AI-Powered Surveillance Technology and the broad scope and scale of Olympic security that they fear could remain in place beyond the Olympic Games.
Instead of building an Olympic park with venues clustered outside the city center, like Rio de Janeiro in 2016 or London in 2012, Paris chose to host many of the events in the heart of the bustling capital of 2 million people, with others spread across the city. suburbs that are home to millions more.
Place temporary sports arenas in public spaces and organize opening ceremony along the Seine makes these protections more complex.
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