Olympic host nation France sees much less New Year’s Eve dysfunction because it celebrates 2024’s arrival
PARIS — France noticed fewer of the automobile burnings that often blight the arrival of a brand new 12 months because the Olympic host nation celebrated the beginning of 2024, the inside minister mentioned Monday.
The 380 arrests made nationwide in a single day was a ten% drop in contrast with a 12 months in the past, mentioned Gerald Darmanin, citing preliminary early morning figures.
Authorities counted 745 car fires, additionally 10% fewer than final 12 months, Darmanin mentioned.
About 40 law enforcement officials suffered slight accidents, a 40% drop on final 12 months, he added.
Law enforcement authorities had been wanting to show that 2024’s arrival might be celebrated and not using a main safety disaster as they gear up for the Summer Games that open in Paris on July 26.
Authorities had vowed that New Year’s Eve safety could be tight throughout France, with 90,000 legislation enforcement officers deployed.
In Paris, celebrations centered on the Champs-Elysees boulevard, the place the Arc de Triomphe was topped with fireworks and bathed in lights and video projections, together with of the 5 Olympic rings. Darmanin mentioned the gang there topped 1 million individuals.
The safety problem forward of the Olympics was highlighted when a vacationer was killed in a knife assault close to the Eiffel Tower on Dec. 2. Large-scale assaults – similar to that in 2015, when Islamic extremists invaded a live performance venue and shot up cafe terraces, killing 130 individuals – additionally loom in reminiscence.
