The proposed Seine opening ceremony has already been downscaled significantly due to security concerns. Plans for an opening ceremony which could welcome up to 600,000 people were scrapped in favor of an invite-only format with around 300,000 spectators.
France raised its terror alert warning to the highest level after the attack on a concert hall in Moscow last month, indicating that authorities believe an attack could be imminent. Security for a Champions League football match last week in Paris was “considerably” reinforced after a threat from the Islamic State group.
“Our country has been hit by terrorism, and what the terrorists want is to stop us from dreaming. We are organizing and resisting,” Macron said, stressing that the opening ceremony along the Seine was still the favored option.
“There’s no naiveté, law enforcement is mobilized at an exceptional level,” he said, adding that the July 26 ceremony will “show France at its best.”
