Paris Olympic Games Impacts Bastille Day Parade
This year's Bastille Day parade in Paris will see significant changes due to the upcoming Paris Olympic Games. For only the second time in its history, the parade will not take place on the iconic Champs-Élysées but will instead be held on the 660 meters of Avenue Foch. The last time this occurred was in 1918. As usual, the National Police will be represented, albeit with a reduced body. This year, 72 student peacekeepers and cadets from the National Police Academy of Rouen-Oissel, 40 student officers from the National Superior Police School of Cannes-Écluse, and 32 from the National School of Police Commissioners of Saint-Cyr-au-Mont-d'Or will participate.
Rigorous Preparations for a Flawless Parade
Preparation for the parade is intense, with participants practicing marching to military music at the Rouen site before moving to the Versailles-Satory military camp for two weeks of rehearsals with other army corps. Instructor Awa from the CRS in Avignon emphasized the importance of surpassing oneself, maintaining rigor, and training. 'We walk between 15 to 20 kilometers per day and have to know how to listen and take feedback constructively,' Awa explained. This year's parade will be commanded by Olivier Beauchamp, a Norman born in Rouen, who has had a distinguished career in the Army and the National Police. Beauchamp, appointed divisional commissioner and departmental director of the Eure national police in 2021, expressed his honor in leading the national police force for the parade.
Heightened Security Measures Amid New Challenges
The Ministry of the Interior is more vigilant than ever, with a final arbitration meeting scheduled on July 12 to discuss security arrangements for July 13 and 14. For the past twenty years, National Day celebrations have often led to excesses, requiring the mobilization of large numbers of security forces. Last year, 45,000 police officers and 40,000 firefighters were deployed to prevent clashes and make necessary arrests. Elite units from RAID, GIGN, and BRI were also part of the security measures. This year, the mobilization will be significant but will face an unexpected constraint: the crisis in New Caledonia has absorbed up to 35 units of mobile forces, which will be lacking in mainland France during these closely monitored celebrations.
