festivals and sporting events will have to adapt to the Olympic Games calendar
From July 18 to August 11, 2024, France will vibrate practically only to the rhythm of the Olympic Games. “From the opening of the Olympic Village until the end of the Games, no major cultural, festive or sporting event requiring the commitment of mobile force units (UFM) can take place”indicates Gérald Darmanin, Minister of the Interior, Rima Abdul-Malak, Minister of Culture and Amélie Oudea-Castera, Minister of Sports, in a joint press release published on December 13.
On the other hand, during these twenty-four days, “Lesser events, necessarily secured by departmental or local forces, are intended to continue”. On October 25, Gérald Darmanin had provoked the anger of those responsible for the summer festivals by declaring that due to the massive mobilization of the police during the period of the Olympics (nearly 30,000 police officers and gendarmes will be mobilized on average every day), cultural events should be “cancelled” we “postponed”.
Six weeks later, after hours of consultation and multiple forums of professional organizations, local authority officials and parliamentarians alerting to the disastrous consequences of the absence of festivals, the three ministers signaled “the importance of festivals and festive and sporting events which make the vitality of the territories during the summer, generating employment, social ties, tourist attractiveness and economic deductions”.
Adapt
While promising that this reality will be “price in consideration”they have just sent a circular to the prefects “setting a framework for reconciling cultural and sporting life” which covers a very wide period, from June 23 to September 8, 2024.
The Minister of Culture wants to be confident: “Solutions have already been found for most of these events”
Thus, the cultural, festive and sporting life will have to adapt upstream and downstream of the Olympic Games. Beyond the “exclusively Olympics” period, from July 18 to August 11, three other phases have been defined, each with “special security requirements”. From June 23 to July 17, before the opening of the Olympic Village, “All festivals and events are intended to be maintained, by limiting, whenever possible, the means necessary to secure them. »
From August 12 to 23, the period between the Olympic and Paralympic Games, “a few rare major events requiring the commitment of UFM could be held after a decision at the national level. » Finally, from August 24 to September 8, during the Paralympic Games period, “No major event requiring UFM reinforcements can be held, with rare exceptions decided on a case-by-case basis. »
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