France to deploy nearly 11,000 police for climate summit

PARIS – France will deploy nearly 11,000 police for the climate summit in Paris, which begins a little more than two weeks after devastating attacks, the interior minister said Wednesday, November 25.

Bernard Cazeneuve said 8,000 police and gendarmes would be posted to carry out border checks and 2,800 would be deployed at the conference venue north of Paris.

He said 120,000 police and troops had already been mobilized across France since the attacks on November 13, which have triggered a state of emergency that will remain in place until February.

A total of 147 world leaders are due to attend the start of the United Nations conference, leading Paris authorities to shut down major roads into the capital on Sunday and Monday and make public transport free of charge.

With the country on high alert, the government has also banned major demonstrations by environmental groups that were planned for this Sunday and December 12. 

Cazeneuve welcomed the cooperation of the march organizers, saying they had shown “a remarkable spirit of responsibility.” – Rappler.com