Squadrons of soldiers drafted from all over France; an AI surveillancesystem that would make China’s president Xi Jinping jealous; both banks of the River Seine barricaded.
This is Paris days before the 2024 Olympic Games, which kick off this Friday, July 26.
To anyone who does not live in a large European city like London, Paris – often referred to as the ‘City of Love’ – might resemble a dystopian enclave preparing for the Hunger Games.
Yasmina, general manager at Hotel Des Ducs D’Anjou, just a few minutes from the Louvre Museum, said the city ‘feels like a jail’ right now.
She told Metro.co.uk: ‘On every street there are at least four or five police officers.
‘It feels unsafe. To me, the presence of so many police means there is a threat of a terrorist attack.’
Arriving at Gare Du Nord, there are no flags or posters to signal that the Olympics are 72 hours away.
It is only when you get closer to the Seine that the police presence becomes more noticeable, particularly around attractions and monuments like the Eiffel Tower.
It was a year ago that the head of the 2024 Olympic Games organising committee, Tony Estanguet, declared that Paris will be ‘the safest city in the world’ when the event starts.
Today, this prediction looks more convincing.
A ‘no-go’ grey zone – something like an iron curtain – has been erected in the heart of the city, making it inaccessible to both residents and tourists without a valid QR code.
Also known as a ‘Games Pass’, it allows entry to the perimeter – but the system to get one is complicated and has led to a lot of confusion. Visitors have also been advised to apply more than a week before arriving.
Barriers were first put in place on July 18, a full week before the Games opening ceremony. This has been a surprise – and has resulted in a lot of frustration.
Mevhibe and Kilian, a couple from Germany who were on their first trip to Paris, were not aware that the Olympics were taking place. They did not know that they were expected to get a code to access some of the city’s main attractions and river banks.
‘All of the roadblocks are very annoying and we did not know that we have to get a pass in advance,’ Mevhibe told Metro.co.uk.
‘We cannot access the Seine and we have to make big circles to get to anything.
‘We wanted to walk from Musée d’Orsay to Notre Dame, but it is not possible. We had tickets, but still we could not go.’
Lines of police officers guard the barricades lining the Seine, scanning code after a code for anyone who wants to enter.
At every crossing, there are people pleading to be let through, without much success.
Metro.co.uk interviewed one police officer, who wished to remain anonymous, who was stationed outside the Notre Dame, on Île de la Cité.
They said that in the last 50 minutes, they had scanned more than 200 passes, but had only allowed entry to two.
n a lot of cases, people are asked to produce additional documentation like a pre-booked ticket to a museum, a reservation to a restaurant or an appointment to a hospital.
‘Hundreds of people turn up every day without a code,’ they said. ‘The issue is that they do not know they need a code. Tourists and residents.
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