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Paris: Work begins on Eiffel Tower’s bulletproof glass wall

Works began Monday to boost security at the Eiffel Tower as an anti-terrorism measure, city hall said, with bulletproof glass walls set to go up around the world's most visited monument.

Published: 19 September 2017 08:59 CEST
Paris: Work begins on Eiffel Tower's bulletproof glass wall
Eiffel Tower. AFP.
The changes come after a string of jihadist attacks in the French capital over the past two years in which more than 200 people have died.
   
A bulletproof glass wall will be installed around the monument's gardens under the 30-million-euro ($36-million), nine-month works, the city's tourism chief, Jean-Francois Martins, told AFP.
   
Visited by six to seven million people each year, the landmark already has a permanent police patrol.
 
But Paris councillors voted unanimously in March to boost its security due to the “particularly high terrorist threat”.
 
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Photo: AFP

   
Some 7,000 troops have been deployed under an anti-terrorism operation known as Sentinelle, patrolling streets and guarding tourist hotspots, since the jihadist attack at the offices of Charlie Hebdo magazine in January 2015.
   
Martins said the renovations “will not disrupt visitors' arrival in any way” and that tourists would still be able to walk up to the tower for free, after passing through security checks.
 
A two-year project to repaint the 128-year-old wrought-iron tower will kick off in 2018, as well as refurbishment of its elevators, which will take two years longer.
   
The building of a new reception centre will start in 2021 and last for two years, Martins said.
   
But he indicated that controversial plans for an underground centre with a shopping gallery have been scrapped.
   
City officials are trying to upgrade the site without denting visitor numbers as Paris prepares to host the 2024 Olympic Games.
 
In total 300 million euros have been put aside to improve visitors' experience of the UNESCO World Heritage site over the next 15 years, half of it for maintenance.

PARIS

Fluffy nuisance: Outcry as Paris sends Invalides rabbits into exile

Efforts to relocate wild rabbits that are a common sight on the lawns of the historic Invalides memorial complex have provoked criticism from animal rights groups.

Published: 14 February 2024 13:01 CET
Fluffy nuisance: Outcry as Paris sends Invalides rabbits into exile

Tourists and Parisians have long been accustomed to the sight of wild rabbits frolicking around the lawns of Les Invalides, one of the French capital’s great landmarks.

But efforts are underway to relocate the fluffy animals, accused of damaging the gardens and drains around the giant edifice that houses Napoleon’s tomb, authorities said.

Police said that several dozen bunnies had been captured since late January and relocated to the private estate of Breau in the Seine-et-Marne region outside Paris, a move that has prompted an outcry from animal rights activists.

“Two operations have taken place since 25 January,” the police prefecture told AFP.

“Twenty-four healthy rabbits were captured on each occasion and released after vaccination” in Seine-et-Marne, the prefecture said.

Six more operations are scheduled to take place in the coming weeks.

Around 300 wild rabbits live around Les Invalides, according to estimates.

“The overpopulation on the site is leading to deteriorating living conditions and health risks,” the prefecture said.

Authorities estimate the cost of restoring the site, which has been damaged by the proliferation of underground galleries and the deterioration of gardens, pipes and flora, at €366,000.

Animal rights groups denounced the operation.

The Paris Animaux Zoopolis group said the rabbits were being subjected to “intense stress” or could be killed “under the guise of relocation”.

“A number of rabbits will die during capture and potentially during transport,” said the group, accusing authorities of being “opaque” about their methods.

The animal rights group also noted that Breau was home to the headquarters of the Seine-et-Marne hunting federation.

The police prefecture insisted that the animals would not be hunted.

In 2021, authorities classified the rabbits living in Paris as a nuisance but the order was reversed following an outcry from animal groups who have been pushing for a peaceful cohabitation with the animals.

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