PARIS (AP) — A special iron curtain fell over central Paris Thursday as an Olympic-style anti-terrorism perimeter began along the banks of the Seine River, blocking off a miles-long zone to Parisians and tourists who had not requested passes in advance.
The words on many lips were “QR code,” the pass that grants access beyond the winding metal barriers that mark the security zone set up to protect the Olympic Games’ opening ceremony on July 26.
“I didn’t know it was starting today,” said Emmanuelle Witt, a 35-year-old freelance communications worker who was stopped by police near the Pont de l’Alma as she cycled through the city. She got desperate as she went to her phone to fill out the online form to get her QR code, unaware that the selection process This could take several days.
People with the precious code – either on their phone or printed on a piece of paper – were able to pass through police checks without any problems in spaces between barriers that were higher than most people.
Most of those who were not allowed in were turned away, with the officers not budging despite grumbling and cajoling.
“It’s too much, it’s excessive, it’s all annoying,” complains Nassim Bennamou, a delivery man who has no access to the street leading to Notre-Dame cathedral on his scooter.
“Even the GPS is confused, I have no idea how I’m going to work today,” he added.
Although authorities announced the code system last year and have been meeting with the local residents For months, authorities explained the restrictions, but not everyone was aware. Agents patiently explained to visitors without passes how to access Paris’ iconic monuments without going through the restricted area.
“We didn’t know we needed a QR code,” said Takao Sakamoto, 55, who was denied access to the Eiffel Tower near the Bir Hakeim metro station. He had come from Japan with his wife and took a photo of the tower from a distance, behind fences and police cars. “This will do,” said Sakamoto, desperate.
On the other hand, visitors who were lucky enough to come across agents who kindly let them pass without a QR code and others who had equipped themselves with one were treated to the spectacle of almost empty riverside boulevards which, in normal times, are teeming with traffic.
“There’s no one!” sang a happy cyclist on a street he had almost entirely to himself. As the police seemed everywhere, another man walking past a riverside café with fewer customers than usual shouted out loud: “You can leave your money and mobile phones on the tables, there are certainly no thieves!”
“It’s surreal, we really feel like we’re the only ones here,” said Sarah Bartnicka, a Canadian. Enjoying a morning jog with a friend, the 29-year-old took a selfie with a police officer on the deserted Jena Bridge to immortalize the moment.
Paris has has suffered repeated deadly extremist attacksespecially in 2015. Up to 45,000 police officers and gendarmes as well as 10,000 soldiers are deployed to ensure the security of the Olympic Games.
“I understand why they do it,” said Carla Money, a 64-year-old American who managed to cross the barriers with her family.
Some business owners inside the security zone have complained that a sharp reduction in footfall would hurt their bottom lines.
“They locked me up like a prisoner,” says Raymond Pignol. His restaurant, L’Auberge Café, near the Pont Neuf that spans the Seine, is just behind the metal fence.
The perimeter went into effect early Thursday morning and will last through the ceremony. In an exceptional move, Paris has decided to hold the opening of its first Games in a century on the river rather than in a stadium, like previous host cities. Most river security measures will be lifted after the show.
Police officers were instructed to be polite and patient with employees heading to work and others dealing with the perimeter and passes for the first time. But Paris police chief Laurent Nunez said that after the first 24 hours of flexibility, officers would be much more aggressive in enforcing the rules, no longer looking away from those without QR codes.
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