France blocks 1,000 people from Olympics over spying concerns

Three days earlier nan commencement of nan 2024 Olympics, France’s interior curate said astir 1,000 group suspected of perchance meddling for a overseas powerfulness person been blocked from attending nan Olympics — 1 of nan information challenges that Paris is cracking down connected successful its extremity to support Games safe for athletes and fans.

About 1 cardinal inheritance checks person scrutinized Olympic volunteers, workers and others progressive successful nan Games arsenic good arsenic those applying for passes to participate nan astir tightly controlled information area successful Paris — on nan banks of nan Seine — up of nan opening ceremonial connected nan stream Friday.

The checks blocked astir 5,000 group from attending, Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said Tuesday. Out of them, “there are 1,000 group whom we fishy of foreign interference — we tin opportunity spying,” Darmanin said.

Darmanin, who is staying connected successful a caretaker domiciled until a caller authorities is formed pursuing legislative elections this period that denied President Emmanuel Macron’s centrist conjugation a majority, has many times pointed to suspicions of Russia-backed interference.

“We’re present to make judge … that athletics isn’t utilized for spying, for cyberattacks aliases to knock and sometimes moreover dishonesty astir France and nan French,” Darmanin said.

He added that “interfering and manipulating information” is not coming from Russia only but from immoderate different countries, too, which he did not name. He besides didn’t springiness much accusation connected nan suspected meddling.

“That’s why we’re connected nan alert, and we want them to cognize that we’re not naive,” he said.

Others blocked from nan Olympics aft inheritance checks were flagged for suspected Islamic radicalization, left- aliases right-wing governmental extremism, important criminal records and different information concerns, Darmanin said.

“These people, we didn’t deliberation it was a bully thought for them to beryllium stadium stewards, volunteers aliases that they travel (sports) teams. Out of 1 cardinal people, 5,000 is not a lot, and it shows nan heavy activity of nan Interior ministry,” he said.

Paris is deploying 35,000 constabulary officers each time for nan Olympics, which tally Friday to Aug. 11, pinch a highest of 45,000 for nan opening ceremony. In addition, 10,000 soldiers are taking portion successful information operations successful nan Paris region.

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France besides is getting thief from much than 40 countries that together person sent astatine slightest 1,900 constabulary reinforcements.

“Of course, we’re peculiarly protective of nan Ukrainian team, which is evidently nether sizeable threat,” Darmanin said.

The interior curate had antecedently said Israeli athletes would beryllium protected 24 hours a time by elite constabulary portion GIGN, which is successful complaint of counterterrorism and nan protection of authorities officials, among different things.

Darmanin besides praised nan information activity of tens of thousands of constabulary officers, firefighters, explosive disposal experts, intelligence services agents and backstage information personnel.

In a handwritten statement to them, Darmanin said “the largest world arena that a state tin organize” is “finally” present aft 4 years of mentation but noted nan unprecedented information challenges.

“Your task will not beryllium easy,” Darmanin said successful nan missive posted connected nan societal level X precocious Monday. Paris has many times suffered deadly extremist attacks, and world tensions are precocious because of nan wars successful Ukraine and Gaza.

Olympic organizers besides person cyberattack concerns, while authorities campaigners and Games critics are worried astir Paris’ usage of AI-equipped surveillance exertion and nan wide scope and standard of Olympic information that they fearfulness whitethorn stay successful spot beyond nan Olympics.

Rather than build an Olympic parkland pinch venues grouped together extracurricular of nan metropolis center, for illustration Rio de Janeiro successful 2016 aliases London successful 2012, Paris has chosen to big galore of nan events successful nan bosom of nan bustling superior of 2 cardinal inhabitants, pinch others dotted astir suburbs that location millions more.

Putting impermanent sports arenas successful nationalist spaces and staging nan opening ceremonial on nan Seine makes those protections much complex.