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PARIS IS SET to unveil thick bulletproof glass walls and metal fences around the Eiffel Tower, designed to protect France’s most famous monument from terrorist attacks.
The boosted security measures, under construction since last year, come with France still on high alert after a string of jihadist attacks that have killed more than 240 people since 2015.
The new walls, shown to journalists during a site tour yesterday, are part of security measures that have cost nearly €35 million and are due to be finished by mid-July.
Glass walls measuring 6.5 centimetres thick will run along the riverside Quai Branly boulevard as well as the Avenue Gustave Eiffel which separates the tower from a park.
The walls, which are bulletproof as well as resistant to vehicle-ramming attacks, are “rock-solid for absolute security”, said Bernard Gaudillere, head of the SETE, the company which runs the Eiffel Tower.
The other two sides will be fenced off with metal barriers formed from curved prongs in the form of the tower itself and at 3.24 metres high, stand exactly a hundredth of the height of the “Iron Lady”.
Gaudillere said his team worked with police to decide how best to secure a monument which has itself repeatedly switched off its twinkling night-time lights in memory of the victims of attacks around the world.
‘Dangerous times’
Tourists visiting the site yesterday said they felt reassured by the new measures, still mindful of the horrific Islamic State attacks of November 2015 in which 130 people were killed at Paris nightspots.
“We live in a dangerous time. I think it’s a great idea — when I see this I feel more safe,” said Edyta Poncyljusz, visiting from Warsaw.
David Luke, from the US state of Utah, noted with dismay that tourists are no longer free to walk under the tower as was the case last time he visited four years ago.
“But I think it’s a good idea,” he said of the security walls.
“It’s inconvenient and a little annoying, but we’re used to security measures in the US — going through metal detectors just for a basketball game.”
Like other French tourist sites, the tower is regularly patrolled by anti-terror troops, and the forecourt underneath the iron structure has been fenced off over terrorism fears since June 2016.
Gaudillere acknowledged that the temporary fences were “not very aesthetically pleasing”, giving the monument the look of a building site, but promised the end result would be “infinitely nicer and more romantic”.
He said the building work does not appear to have dented visitor numbers, which are still expected to reach up to seven million in 2018.
Tourists will still be able to access the gardens and the forecourt underneath the tower for free once passing through the security fences, he said.
The walls are part of a 300-million-euro revamp of the Eiffel Tower, with most of the work due to be completed ahead of the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.
- © AFP 2018.
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Why don’t they just re-release XP
Get with the times
Am I the only person that actually likes Windows 8?!
Yes
No
From the brief time I’ve messed around with the technical preview, Microsoft seem to be back on form. Its got the sorely missed elements removed after 7 back and has that snappy, lean feel of 8. Having a proper start menu back without having to bolt on third party software is reason enough to think about an upgrade. I’d even go as far as to say, if you’re thinking of buying a non-touchscreen laptop, consider holding out until Windows 10 is released.
I really like the idea of different desktop screens. You can set up each one for whatever scenario you need it for.
you can thank Apple for that.
No Eric. Multiple desktops have been around for a lot longer than Apple have had them. Linux DE’s had them since the 90′s. It’s one GUI feature that I hate losing from Linux when I have to use Windows.
Eric, multiple desktops have been around a lot longer than when Apple implemented them. Apple were the first to roll them out to a significant user base with Leopard.
I have been very happy with 8. I think many just used it once and cried, without making a proper attempt to get i to it. Everything feels strange for the first time.
Bit misleading, they didn’t stop selling windows 8 because it was unpopular, they stopped because windows 8.1 is the current version of the “8″ family and was a Free upgrade.
Looks good, Microsoft have taken some of the best features of Mac OS such as multiple desktops and trackpad gestures
The same way Apple took multiple desktops from Linux?
I have always used windows as my primary OS. Have been running win8 since it was
released. I downloaded win 10 to check it out. They had to change it, corporate enterprise environments would in no way rollout 8 to their clients. The interface & design of 8 is a bit ridiculous and would generate a crazy amount of calls for IT. And most use non touch screen laptops and desktops. Windows could have made it so much better, but with most things if you don’t ask the people who use it on a daily basis you won’t learn and improve. I must say the new windows servers OS are an improvement..
Use 8.1 everyday, no issues at all
Windows 8 and Classic Shell… drive on.
Lipstick on a pig
Can we not have Android OS for Desktop and kill off microsoft windows already?
There’s an x86 version that you can install on a desktop. I haven’t played around with it since 1.6 (so a long time ago) but it actually worked quite well on the eeePC.
You can disable the Windows button on the Surface Pro 3 if it gets in the way of the charms etc..
I have been using windows 8 since it first came out on a laptop that had windows 7 originally installed on it. I find windows 8 easy to use, but I do miss the start button.
Try ‘Classic Shell’.
Just started using it recently. It makes things a hell of a lot better.
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