French police prepare for World Cup semi-final against Morocco

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French police geared up for their World Cup semi-final against Morocco on Wednesday, after the scuffles that followed Morocco’s quarter-final victory over Portugal last week.

Around 10,000 police will be deployed across the country, of which 5,000 will be deployed in the Ile-de-France region near Paris and around 2,200 in the capital, double the number of security personnel deployed at previous World Cup matches. , Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin told France 2 TV.

“Our Moroccan friends, as well as the French fans, are welcome to organize a party and our job is not to stop them from celebrating… But this will have to be done under good security conditions,” Darmanin said.

Clashes erupted in Paris on December 10 after Morocco defeated Portugal, and victory celebrations with flags and horns soon turned to street violence as protesters attacked shop windows, forcing riot police to use gas. tear gas.

France is a former colonial ruler of Morocco and has a large Moroccan diaspora, mostly concentrated around Paris and the Mediterranean coast.

While there are no ethnicity figures for France, estimates put the number of French-Moroccans and Moroccans living in France at around 1 million.

Darmanin said Paris’s Champs Élysées — a 70-metre-wide avenue that is often the focal point for spontaneous sports celebrations as well as demonstrations — would not be closed.

He said it might be closed on Sunday night (18th) after the World Cup final.

Paris’ prefecture of police said security forces would focus on the Champs Elysées to prevent vandalism and aggression.

To avoid traffic jams in the city center, several exits on the ring road on the outskirts of Paris will be closed at night, and access to some metro stations will be limited.

About two hours before the start of the match, around 500 checkpoints will be placed in Paris and other areas. Fans will be searched for fireworks and smoke bombs.

Darmanin said much could depend on the weather as France was experiencing an unusually cold spell, with subzero temperatures and snow expected across a large swath of the country’s north.

“The weather is not very suitable for outdoor gatherings, but people will still want to express their happiness, which is legitimate,” Darmanin said.

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