The French Minister of the Interior, Gérald Darmanin, presented on Sunday an updated balance sheet of the checks carried out on all security agents and civil servants involved in the organization of the Olympic Games this summer, reports AFP.
Darmanin said 800 people have been turned away so far from this summer’s Olympics in Paris as a result of the 180,000 security checks carried out – out of a total of one million checks to be carried out .
“The French people must know that we check absolutely everyone who approaches the Olympic Games. So there are the volunteers, the torch bearers, the people who will accompany you. There are a million checks to be carried out, we have already carried out 180,000 checks, we have excluding 800 people”, the Minister of the Interior emphasized on the LCI news channel.
“This means that there are people who wanted to sign up to carry the flame, to be volunteers at the Olympic Games, and who clearly did not have good intentions,” continued Gérald Darmanin, adding that among those rejected were “radical Islamists” and “radical environmentalists who want to protest”.
The Olympic Games (July 26-August 11) and Paralympics (August 28-September 8) will mobilize almost 45,000 internal security forces. On average, 35,000 police and gendarmes will be on duty every day throughout France to guarantee event security (25,000 for the Paralympic Games). In addition, there will be at least 18,000 military and between 18,000 and 22,000 private security agents each day.
Paris is hosting the Olympics at a time when France is on high alert for the threat of terrorist attacks and is offering an unprecedented opening ceremony on the Seine on July 26, for which 45,000 police and gendarmes are mobilized.
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Tags: Paris Olympics security checks carried people rejected people good intentions Darmanin
