FRANCE-ATTACKS/REACTIONS Parisians feel relatively safe despite recent foiled terror attack

Record ID: 146909

  • Title: FRANCE-ATTACKS/REACTIONS Parisians feel relatively safe despite recent foiled terror attack
  • Date: 16th July 2015
  • Summary: PARIS, FRANCE (JULY 16, 2015) (REUTERS) TOP OF THE EIFFEL TOWER TOURISTS WALKING UNDER EIFFEL TOWER MILITARY PERSONNEL WALKING IN THE EIFFEL TOWER AREA STREET (SOUNDBITE) (French) PASSER-BY, ROBERT, SAYING: "Relatively safe, I think that anyway it is very difficult to foresee all problems that may occur these days." STREET (SOUNDBITE) (French) PASSER-BY, ROBERT, SAYING: "I
  • Embargoed: 31st July 2015 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: France
  • Country: France
  • Topics: General
  • Reuters ID: LVA6HF5M54T0BZKQCJ7HJND58MEY
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: People on the streets of Paris said on Thursday (July 16) said they didn't feel particularly afraid in the wake of a thwarted attack on French military installations and arrests of four people whose leader had links to jailed jihadists.
    The four were aged between 16 and 23 and arrested in different places around France, French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve said on Wednesday. One was ex-military, the minister said.
    According to a source close to the situation, the attackers had planned to act in January 2016 and were targeting a senior military official in the south of France.
    France is on high alert after a suspected Islamist beheaded his boss and tried to blow up a U.S-owned industrial gas plant in the suburbs of Lyon.
    But Paris residents said they felt safe.
    "Relatively safe, I think that anyway it is very difficult to foresee all problems that may occur these days," said passer-by Robert. "I think that it is difficult to do more, given that those who perpetrate attacks are ready to die. I think it is very difficult to fight against this."
    "No, I am not afraid, so I'm not afraid and then I live in the 93 (suburb of Paris) I have got a cosmopolitan community around me. People are super nice so I really don't feel afraid," said another passer-by Giselle.
    Locals said one mustn't let fear take over and that there were appropriate security measures in place.
    "Every day, every day there is police, every day they pay attention to this because we are dealing with terrorism, everywhere in the world, not here, everywhere in the world, but here the President and all his staff are paying great attention. Now what may happen we don't know, we can't put a policeman in every single... According to us, you shouldn't be afraid, you shouldn't be obsessed. That's it," said Silvia.
    "Security measures... it is like as usual, people who have decided to do harm will always be one step ahead. The more we make things difficult for them, the more difficult it will for them to go through with it," said Robert.
    Cazeneuve said on Wednesday that France had issued 118 prevention orders stopping people known to be involved in jihadist networks from leaving France and 29 prevention orders stopping foreign citizens involved in the same network to enter the country.
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