France has second plan for Olympics opening if security poses concern

French President Emmanuel Macron said that France has “prepared alternatives” to holding the July 26 Olympics opening ceremony on the river Seine "should security reasons require," according to Hummel & Vidalon of REUTERS. Conflict in the Middle East and Ukraine “as well as a threat of terrorist attacks have led the French government to raise its security alert to its highest level.” Macron said that he was “confident" the planned Games ceremony with huge crowds around the Seine "would be a huge success.” But France, he added, “is not naive.” Macron: “If we think there are security risks we'll have plan Bs, and even plan Cs.” He said that one option, would be to “restrict the ceremony to the central Paris Trocadero square facing the Eiffel Tower.” Another would be to “move the event indoors to the Stade de France stadium” (REUTERS, 4/15). The AP’s Samuel Petrequin noted organizers had “originally planned a grandiose opening ceremony for as many as 600,000 people,” most watching free of charge from riverbanks. But security and logistical concerns “have led the government to progressively scale back its ambitions.” Earlier this year, the overall number of spectators “was reduced to around 300,000” (AP, 4/15).