- author, Andrew Harding
- role, Paris correspondent
Crowds of disappointed tourists gazed wistfully through a maze of metal fences along the Seine, with Notre Dame and other Parisian landmarks looming before them, just out of reach.
“We don't have PIN numbers,” a woman from Mexico said, as she watched others carrying mandatory QR security codes pass through a beeping police checkpoint.
Further downstream, next to the Eiffel Tower, a tired couple dragging large suitcases made a slow U-turn on the crowded sidewalk.
“It's closed. Please walk around,” a French gendarme told them, pointing south.
As Paris prepares to showcase a unique Olympic opening ceremony – a riverside extravaganza that will see athletes in polished boats parade through the heart of the French capital on Friday night – the country's police and military are putting the finishing touches to an equally unprecedented security operation.
“We are ready,” President Emmanuel Macron declared cheerfully, his usual swagger seemingly intact despite weeks of political turmoil caused by the recent shock decision to dissolve France's parliament.
The policing operation, the scale of which is difficult to describe, will involve the largest deployment of security forces in France's history in peacetime, with up to 75,000 police officers, soldiers and hired guards patrolling Paris at any one time.
Roads and metro stations were closed, some 44,000 barricades were set up, as well as an elaborate QR code system for residents and others seeking access to the Seine and its islands.
In a city flooded with foreign tourists, who would normally have no restrictions, some initial problems and frustrations have inevitably arisen.
“I'm a bit worried. I've never seen it so calm. Ninety percent of the customers have left,” said waiter Omar Benabdallah, 25, surveying the empty seats along the sidewalk of the Île de la Cité.
But French authorities insist the chaos will be short-lived — many of the barricades along the Seine are due to be removed after Friday's opening ceremony — and that the world will be rewarded with a spectacular spectacle celebrating the history and beauty of Paris.
“I wouldn't say it's a nightmare. We are focused and determined,” said General Lionel Catal with a half-laugh, who is in charge of coordinating the efforts of some 5,500 French troops deployed in the capital.
The Qatari general acknowledged the “exceptional” scale of security operations for the Olympics and Paralympics but described it as an evolution of an existing French operation, Operation Sentinel, dating back 10 years, in response to a series of deadly attacks by Islamist groups and individuals.
“We have mine-clearance teams and dog sled teams. We have anti-drone systems, radars and divers who patrol the Seine,” the Qatari general said.
The decision to move the headquarters from the outskirts of Paris to the magnificent and vast École Militaire complex behind the Eiffel Tower was based on advice from British police following their experience at the 2012 London Olympics.
“I think their headquarters was a bit far from the city centre. They advised us to stay close to responsible politicians and the police,” he said.
About 250 British police officers and 50 police dogs will be deployed to France over the coming weeks, some to join French foot patrols in central Paris. They are among 1,750 foreign police officers from dozens of countries, including Spain, Germany, South Korea and Qatar.
“We expect around half a million British people to come and enjoy the Olympics and it will be the first time we will be able to deploy police officers to a major event. [abroad] “So,” said Superintendent Matt Lawler, director of the National Police Coordination Centre.
Notably, the opening ceremony also saw direct military cooperation between France and the UK on counter-drone technology.
French authorities said there was no specific threat to the Olympics but they were concerned about “military terrorism” from abroad or within France, and were also looking at the risk of cyber attacks targeting ticketing systems and other infrastructure.
The government has faced growing anger in recent months over an online campaign it believes is backed by the Kremlin to stomp on fears about Olympic safety and France's preparations.
“Interference and distortions are not only being carried out by Russia, but also by other countries which we are following closely. We are not complacent and expect the Olympic truce to be respected by all countries,” French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said.
On the same day, in the outskirts of Paris, an elite unit of the French police rehearsed another hostage crisis on a bus, where amid gunfire and loud explosions, the same unit that responded to the 2015 Bataclan theater attack rescued civilian actors trapped inside the bus.
“We are feeling anxious. We have been preparing for this tournament for more than two years. We pray that no action will be required,” said the force's commander, Simon Liondet.
