Macron says France may move Paris Olympic opening ceremony from 'world first' River Seine location over ISIS threat
15 April 2024, 14:14 | Updated: 15 April 2024, 15:05
Emmanuel Macron has admitted that France may have to move the Olympic opening ceremony from a "world first" location on the River Seine because of an Islamist terror threat.
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The French president said that instead of sailing down the Parisian river on barges for the traditional curtain-raiser, the Olympic teams may be unveiled in the national stadium instead as a precaution.
Mr Macron said: "We will analyse this in real time".
If the Seine event were to go ahead, it would mark the first time an Olympic opening ceremony took place outside of a stadium.
It comes after ISIS were said to have made threats of attacks at Champions League games in Paris, London and Madrid last week.
And a branch of the Islamist terror group attacked the Crocus City concert hall in Moscow in March, killing 144 people.
France's terror threat was raised to its highest level after the Russia attack.
Mr Macron said: "This opening ceremony... is a world first. We can do it and we are going to do it."
But he also said "there were "Plan Bs and Plan Cs", which could mean moving the ceremony to the Stade de France, which is north of Paris.
Mr Macron also said he would do "everything possible" so that the tradition of peace during the games, called an "Olympic truce", holds firm.
He said: "We want to work towards an Olympic truce and I think it is an occasion for me to engage with a lot of our partners."
Mr Macron was asked by one onlooker if her son would be safe at the opening ceremony on the Seine.
He said in response: "If there’s one place where your son will be safe, it’s here. There are always risks in life.
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“And we see it every day, unfortunately. But we’ve given ourselves the means to do it.”
The French government scaled back plans for 600,000 people to be able to watch the opening ceremony, with the capacity now 300,000.
"We will screen all the people who enter and leave (the security perimeter)," continued Macron.
"We are going to restrict traffic a lot. Sorry to all the local residents because it will be a lot of constraints for individuals and businesses. Eight days before, we will be completely closed.
"It is a cautious but confident and enthusiastic president who approaches the Games in the capital.
"We want to show the most beautiful face of France.
Gerald Darmanin, the country's home affairs minister, said earlier: "To manage crowd movement, we can’t tell everyone to come.
"For security reasons that everyone understands, notably the terrorist threat of recent weeks, we are obliged to make it free but contained.”
Paris has suffered several Islamist terror events in recent years, including a deadly attack at the Bataclan theatre in Paris, where 90 people were killed.
