Enthusiastic crowds welcome Olympics torch as it travels through France amid heightened security
FRANCE-The Olympic torch is passing through the departments of Aveyron and Herault on Monday after arriving in Marseille and traveling through the Cote d’Azur and Provence this past weekend. According to the Interior Minister, security has already stopped two dozen “actions” that could have interfered with the flame’s path towards Paris.
Majestic arrival of Olympics torch in marseille
Thousands of people gathered to see the torch be carried across the highest bridge in the world on Monday morning. Members of the Sentinelle army unit were positioned atop the Millau viaduct. According to the Midi Libre daily, police broke up a pro-Palestinian protest gathering as the torch made its way through the town. With the help of its own security detail consisting of 115 police officers, the Olympic flame has avoided “23 actions aimed at disturbing the successful proceedings” of the torch relay since it began last week, according to Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin’s statement. The government hopes to prevent another incident similar to the one that occurred in 2008 when a protester blocked the torch’s route through Paris en route to the Beijing Olympics in order to criticize China’s policies in Tibet. The torch will be carried by over 100,000 people through more than 400 cities in France before it arrives in Paris in time for the opening ceremony of the Games in July.
Security measures ensured for Torch’s Journey
In order to protest ArcelorMittal, the steel manufacturer of the torch, several environmental non-governmental organizations are calling for a demonstration on Friday when the flame passes through Toulouse. They claim that ArcelorMittal is using its sponsorship of the Games as a cover for its environmental pollution in South America and Africa. Following a detour through Corsica, the torch is scheduled to pass through the Pyrénées-Orientales area.
At twilight, the Olympic torch was brought into Marseille’s renowned Old Port by a majestic three-mast ship, as the sound of La Marseillaise, the national hymn of France, reverberated from the embankment.The arrival of the ship was announced with an Air Force fly-over, during which jets depicted the five Olympic rings and then the French flag’s red, blue, and white colors. A torch relay spanning 12,000 kilometers (7,500 miles) through France and its far overseas regions begins with the handover of the flame onshore.
Terrorism threats around France
France engages in international debates on the topic of preventing radicalization and holds high-level dialogues on the subject with its principal allies. One of the fundamental goals of our counterterrorism efforts is still to prevent the use of the Internet for terrorist activities. High-level talks between France and digital corporations aim to quickly and permanently remove terrorist information from the internet at most, within an hour. France participates in several initiatives within the relevant international organizations, such as the United Nations, and the Global Counterterrorism Forum (GCTF), which unites 29 nations and the European Union, with the goal of containing the threat presented by foreign terrorist combatants. Many terrorist organizations have been attempting to increase their regional influence in Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, and Africa in recent years. The world community faces a threat from terrorist safe havens. They serve as both hubs for the spread of lethal doctrine and hotspots of horror and tyranny for the local populace. Numerous terrorist acts against foreign nations and local people have been planned and orchestrated from these safe havens.
Torch relay across France’s iconic location
Terrorist organizations seek funding through every method possible, including the employment of cutting-edge technologies for money collection and transmission. For this reason, France organized nations in 2018 with the goal of locating and shutting down every source of funding for terrorism. An international conference on countering the funding of Al-Qaeda and Daesh was organized in Paris on April 25 and 26, at the behest of President Macron. The inaugural No Money for Terror Conference was attended by representatives from seventy nations as well as the heads of about twenty international and regional organizations and specialized agencies. The participants pledged to strengthen their legislative frameworks and intelligence collaboration in their closing remarks.
Boycott Paris Olympics 2024 over human rights abuses
The call for boycotting the 2024 Olympics in Paris intensifies amidst allegations of French police brutality and human rights violations. Concerns over security and racism also add fuel to the fire. Critics argue that the event’s organization fails to address these pressing issues adequately.
