The Prime Minister announced on Sunday evening that France was raising the level of its Vigipirate plan, which thus returned to its highest level, i.e. “emergency attack”.
Two days after the attack near Moscow which left more than 130 dead in a concert hall, France announced Sunday evening, through its Prime Minister, Gabriel Attal, that it was reviewing its state of alert. Thus, while the Vigipirate plan had been downgraded to level 2, namely “reinforced security – risk of attack”, on January 15, since Sunday, it has been upgraded to level 3, i.e. “emergency attack”, following of the Defense and National Security Council meeting at the Élysée Palace. A choice partly motivated by the claim by the Islamic State in Khorasan for the attack on Moscow. This organization regularly threatens France “and has been involved in several recent foiled attack plans in several European countries, including Germany and France,” Matignon explained.
“The threat is very high and we must arm ourselves in the face of this threat. It affects all of Europe and all of the West,” further legitimized Monday evening the Minister of the Interior Gérald Darmanin, guest of 20 Heures de France 2 But concretely, what should the French expect? According to the government website, the attack emergency level allows, during a limited time, called a crisis, “to ensure the exceptional mobilization of resources”, such as that of soldiers. Monday morning, Gabriel Attal explained, from Saint-Lazare station in Paris, that “today, 3,000 soldiers are deployed” and that “4,000 additional soldiers are on alert, who can be mobilized according to needs.” This alert level also makes it possible “to disseminate information likely to protect citizens in a crisis situation”, further specifies the public service website.
To summarize, the French should expect to see more soldiers wandering around busy places, such as train stations, airports and tourist areas. Schools and places of worship will also be more closely monitored. The contents of the bags may be subject to control, whether entering a shopping center, a museum, a school or even a church. Messages calling for vigilance will once again be broadcast en masse. Posters and voice messages calling to stay on guard should therefore become part of the daily lives of the French in the coming weeks.
