Police officers and gendarmes in France have a busy week ahead with the visit of King Charles III to Paris and Bordeaux, Pope Francis to Marseille, and rugby World Cup matches taking place in several cities across France.
From Monday to Sunday, France will deploy a significant number of law enforcement personnel to ensure the safety of the visits of King Charles III and Pope Francis in Marseille, amidst the ongoing Rugby World Cup, which already demands heightened security measures.
Starting from Wednesday, when King Charles III and Queen Camilla arrive for a three-day state visit, the number of police officers and gendarmes will be increased to 8000, according to a police source on Saturday. « King Charles is on a state visit, with a large number of stops and meetings with locals. It is a very important security concern, » said the police source. This visit will take place in a « context of terrorist threat that continues to weigh on our country, » even though « our services have not detected any specific threats. »
The security forces mobilized will be 10,000 on Thursday, then 12,000 on Friday, and 30,000 on Saturday, which is considered the « most complicated » day according to this source. On that day, there will also be demonstrations against police violence in Paris and other cities in the country. Additionally, on Saturday, the French capital will host the Techno Parade, a festive and protest showcase of electronic music, for its 25th anniversary. Meanwhile, in Marseille, Pope Francis will celebrate a mass at the Vélodrome and travel down Avenue du Prado in the papamobile.
Cette « multiplicité d’évènements de grande ampleur », avec notamment « des évènements protocolaires importants », souligne la source policière, se dérouleront en pleine Coupe du monde de rugby, qui nécessite déjà des forces de sécurité renforcées. S’y ajoutent des matches de la Ligue 1 de foot, avec notamment un match sous haute tension, PSG-OM, le dimanche (24 septembre) au Parc des Princes.
The planned visit of King Charles III and Queen Camilla to France, originally scheduled for March, had to be postponed due to security reasons related to the social movement against pension reform.
