France Introduces Massive Security Measures for Climate Summit

France Introduces Massive Security Measures for Climate Summit

Despite the terror attacks on Paris in early November, French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius decided not to move or postpone the U.N. Climate Conference, also known as the COP21. To call off such a major gathering of world leaders in the French capital would have been an unthinkable surrender to terrorism.

The security situation involved with accommodating nearly 150 heads of government and an additional 40,000 visitors and delegates is daunting especially because of the fact that the conference will run for nearly two weeks.

France has dedicated 2,800 police and gendarmes to ensuring the security of the summit venue at Le Bourget, on the northern outskirts of Paris. A further 8,000 officers have been deployed to secure the country’s borders. Altogether, 120,000 police and gendarmes have been mobilized across France according to the Interior Ministry.

The government had announced at the beginning of the month that border controls would be imposed ahead of COP21 -- in what Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve then called a precaution against "a terrorist threat or risk to public order."

Cazenueve said that that more than 300 people had been arrested since November 13, the day of the attacks, and nearly 200 of them remain in custody.

Because terror groups tend not to target summits precisely and stage attacks to coincide with such events elsewhere, French authorities have banned public demonstrations planned to mark COP21. Authorities said, “It was a difficult decision to make but in the present context, the safety requirements are the priority.”

All public rallies in Paris have been banned since the attacks, and providing security for a march of tens of thousands of people while keeping the summit itself safe would have been a logistical nightmare. There was also the risk of panic in the event of some sort of explosion; a firecracker set off a stampede in the Place de la Republique days after the recent attacks.

The security measures put in place have not affected the climate activists passionate about pressuring world leaders to create a better plan for the Earth’s environment. The frustrations over restrictions on protests put in place gave rise to what French President Francois Hollande called, “scandalous” scuffles between activists and police.

Police arrested more than 200 people following flare-ups in which protesters pelted police with shoes, bottles and even candles police said were taken from memorials at Place de la Republique.

Hollande said authorities knew “troubling elements” would arrive in Paris for the talks and said that is why “these sort of assemblies were banned and some were ordered to stay home.”

Despite those tensions, demonstrators were largely peaceful ahead of the crucial climate change session. In place of the big march, protesters lined up thousands of shoes representing climate change activists.

The talks will begin on Monday, November 30, with the aim of reaching a landmark global deal on limiting greenhouse gas emissions.

The leaders of the United States, China and India, the world's top three carbon-emitting countries, are among those scheduled to attend the opening day of the event.

About the Author

Sydny Shepard is the Executive Editor of Campus Security & Life Safety.

Featured

  • New Report Reveals Top Security Risks for U.S. Retail Chains

    Interface Systems, a provider of security, actionable insights, and purpose-built networks for multi-location businesses, has released its 2024 State of Remote Video Monitoring in Retail Chains report. The detailed study analyzed over 2 million monitoring requests across 4,156 retail locations in the United States from September 2023 to August 2024. Read Now

  • Gaining a Competitive Edge

    Ask most companies about their future technology plans and the answers will most likely include AI. Then ask how they plan to deploy it, and that is where the responses may start to vary. Every company has unique surveillance requirements that are based on market focus, scale, scope, risk tolerance, geographic area and, of course, budget. Those factors all play a role in deciding how to configure a surveillance system, and how to effectively implement technologies like AI. Read Now

  • 6 Ways Security Awareness Training Empowers Human Risk Management

    Organizations are realizing that their greatest vulnerability often comes from within – their own people. Human error remains a significant factor in cybersecurity breaches, making it imperative for organizations to address human risk effectively. As a result, security awareness training (SAT) has emerged as a cornerstone in this endeavor because it offers a multifaceted approach to managing human risk. Read Now

  • The Stage is Set

    The security industry spans the entire globe, with manufacturers, developers and suppliers on every continent (well, almost—sorry, Antarctica). That means when regulations pop up in one area, they often have a ripple effect that impacts the entire supply chain. Recent data privacy regulations like GDPR in Europe and CPRA in California made waves when they first went into effect, forcing businesses to change the way they approach data collection and storage to continue operating in those markets. Even highly specific regulations like the U.S.’s National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) can have international reverberations – and this growing volume of legislation has continued to affect global supply chains in a variety of different ways. Read Now

Featured Cybersecurity

Webinars

New Products

  • Camden CV-7600 High Security Card Readers

    Camden CV-7600 High Security Card Readers

    Camden Door Controls has relaunched its CV-7600 card readers in response to growing market demand for a more secure alternative to standard proximity credentials that can be easily cloned. CV-7600 readers support MIFARE DESFire EV1 & EV2 encryption technology credentials, making them virtually clone-proof and highly secure. 3

  • Unified VMS

    AxxonSoft introduces version 2.0 of the Axxon One VMS. The new release features integrations with various physical security systems, making Axxon One a unified VMS. Other enhancements include new AI video analytics and intelligent search functions, hardened cybersecurity, usability and performance improvements, and expanded cloud capabilities 3

  • EasyGate SPT and SPD

    EasyGate SPT SPD

    Security solutions do not have to be ordinary, let alone unattractive. Having renewed their best-selling speed gates, Cominfo has once again demonstrated their Art of Security philosophy in practice — and confirmed their position as an industry-leading manufacturers of premium speed gates and turnstiles. 3