On Sunday, France raised its national threat level to the highest level, assessing the terrorism threat as “probable.” The reason was the attack on a concert hall near Moscow, in which 137 people were killed. That attack was claimed by the terrorist organization ISKP, a group that, according to French President Emmanuel Macron, was already trying to commit attacks in France. According to the French government, the increased risks mainly apply in larger cities. By switching to the highest threat level, the French government can deploy more security measures to protect citizens.
This necessitated an adjustment of travel advice in Belgium and the Netherlands. On the same day that France scaled up the threat level, our country adjusted its travel advice for France. “The highest threat level, urgent attention, applies throughout France. The French authorities may announce specific measures in this context. Belgians on site must be very vigilant, avoid large gatherings and places with a large number of people, and follow the guidelines of the local authorities,” reports the FPS Foreign Affairs.
“We keep our advice continuously up to date. The current travel advice has been adapted to the new situation in France since Sunday and is very accurate, so that travelers can leave well informed,” says Foreign Affairs spokesperson Wouter Poels.
In the Netherlands, the stricter travel advice is even more striking, because our northern neighbors work with color codes. Instead of green (“no special security risks”), France is now the only EU country to turn yellow (“note, there are risks”) on the map of the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Olympics
France is the most popular holiday destination among Belgians. Next summer it will be extra busy in our southern neighbors, as the Olympic Games will take place in the capital Paris, an event that requires the highest level of preparedness from the French security services. During the opening ceremony, a boat parade on the Seine through the heart of Paris, the river is cordoned off for miles, 45,000 police officers are on duty and a hundred divers are in the water ready for emergencies. All buildings with a view of the river must be checked and only screened visitors are allowed to be in the area.
Before New Year’s Eve, France already deployed 90,000 police officers, including 6,000 in Paris, plus 5,000 soldiers. At that time, it was mainly the war in Gaza that fueled fear of actions by radicalized types. On December 2, a 26-year-old IS supporter stabbed a German tourist to death and injured two others near the Eiffel Tower.
