France mobilizes 100,000 security personnel for the holidays

PARIS – France’s government is deploying nearly 100,000 police and soldiers for the holiday season as fears of extremist attacks remain high.

The additional security will focus on Christmas markets, shopping centres, religious buildings, public transport and tourist sites.

Citing “the context of a still-elevated terrorist threat,” the Interior Ministry said in a statement that 97,000 security force personnel are mobilized for protection Sunday and Monday.

In addition to the Christmas security, the ministry said extra policing was ordered around religious sites during Hanukkah earlier this month, and for Orthodox Christmas in January, “to allow the celebration of these festivities in good conditions.”

A new anti-terrorism law championed by President Emmanuel Macron’s government enshrines extra police powers as a result of multiple Islamic extremist attacks that killed more than 200 people in 2015-2016.