No one said hosting an Olympic Games-caliber event would be easy. And it’s even less so when the setting is already a city as crowded and busy as Paris, a city that has its own control at the door of an Olympic event. meats how difficult it is to balance the daily lives of those living on the streets, the influx of tourists and the preparations for the Games. And there is no better example or symbol of this diabolical challenge than what has been christened Pass Jeux, which is nothing more than a personal QR code granting access to certain parts of the city that have been guarded for Friday’s opening ceremony.

On paper, the idea sounded good, but once put into practice, problems arose that began to fray the nerves of more than one neighbor and the hotelier.

The center of Paris, like Fort KnoxThe analogy was recently shared in a newspaper by a person living in Paris. Figaro. Although it may seem exaggerated to compare the city center of Paris to the famous American military base in Kentucky, the photo perfectly illustrates what is happening in the French capital. In order to maintain security during the Olympic Games, and especially on the opening day, which will be this Friday, when the Seine River will be staged, the authorities have decided to impose strict control measures in the city.

The system is simple. At least on paper. To control access, the government has set up several security zones in Paris, each colored. There is blue, there is red, there is black, there is gray. They all have their own fine print, but perhaps the most exciting is the “gray perimeter,” which includes the streets near the Seine and popular spots like the Tuileries Gardens. That’s because it covers the area where the ambitious opening ceremony took place.

Only with Pass Jeux. Although the Olympic Games are still a few days away, Paris has already made it clear that one of its obsessions is security. Along with 44,000 barriers and a daily deployment of 30,000 police and gendarmerie, there are talks of 20,000 private security rooms and 10,000 soldiers ready to intervene if necessary, with Operation Sentinelle as the framework. “A militarization not seen since the Second World War,” he sums up Guardian.

It’s not all about barricades and gendarmes. As part of this massive deployment, authorities have decided to “protect” the area around the Olympic opening ceremony from July 18 to 26. As detailed by the Paris Police Prefecture, to access this grey area until the end of Friday’s appointment, you will need to have a Pass Jeux (Games ticket), a personal QR code that you can download to your mobile phone or print out. The identifier is essential to pass to certain points where there will be more Games-related activities or to reach certain points in the “red zone” by vehicle, which also require permission.

Good on paper… In practice, it is complicated. This is what the inhabitants of Paris have learned with sorrow. And they are not the only ones. Tourists, traders and hoteliers have also confirmed the weaknesses of Pass Jeux in the gray area. The French press speaks of people trying to enter the “armored” perimeter without knowing that they must first manage a code, devices that cannot read QR codes, especially on sunny days, businesses that feel restricted by the restrictions, or even see their activities affected.

“A police officer was unable to scan the QR code on my phone because of the sun,” he explains The Parisian A young man decided to take a walk in Trocadéro square last Saturday. “After several tries, he asked me for my ID to see if it matched my pass and finally let me through.”

“I don’t know how to work”The newspaper claims that similar problems have occurred near the Eiffel Tower. A representative added: “If people have a QR code but we can’t scan it and they don’t have ID, we can’t let them through.” “It’s much more complicated because it wastes time.” A delivery driver also complained to NPR a few days ago about the difficulties he encountered while riding his scooter around the city. “Even the GPS is messed up, I don’t know how to work it today,” he thought.

Influencing the businessDespite its privileged position, businesses with greater restrictions in the region have also been affected. At least that’s what French media like the BFM Business channel confirms. Depeche anyone FigaroWe’ve even broken down some numbers to help understand the impact.

According to calculations, the tightening of security regulations in certain areas of the city is frightening tourists and residents, with some businesses and restaurants experiencing a 30 to 70% drop in turnover. This last percentage is the one managed by hoteliers in Place du Trocadéro, for example, he explains. DepecheA quote from the manager of a venue on the Seine who claims to have suffered a literal series of cancellations: 32 out of 56 seats.

“I’ve never seen it so calm”. This statement comes from Omar Benabdallah, a 25-year-old waiter who shared with the BBC a few days ago how he observed the area of ​​the city where he works, in the middle of the beginning of the hotel’s opening ceremony. Thousands of metal barriers, closed stations, games with access systems by zone and QR: “I’m a little worried. I’ve never seen it so calm. 90% of the customers have left.” In any case, the authorities insist that the barricades will be removed after the party on Friday.

Others focus their criticism on how the Olympics are affecting Parisians’ daily lives, such as access to healthcare facilities. This is echoed by the BFM, which condemns how the security perimeters designed by authorities for Friday’s ceremony have “made access to some hospitals difficult” or “significantly extended” ambulance travel times. Other voices criticise the barriers for making it difficult for people in wheelchairs, bicycles or pushchairs to get through.

Image | Conall (Flickr)

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