Paris police to deploy en masse for Bastille Day, PSG game
Some 11,500 officers will be deployed in the French capital and surrounding areas for the FIFA Club World Cup final between English side Chelsea and French champions Paris Saint-Germain, which coincides with festivities on the eve of France's national holiday on Monday, known as Bastille Day, that can at times degenerate into violence.
No crowd gatherings will be allowed on the Champs-Élysées, the prestigious Paris thoroughfare that has often been the scene of unrest on such occasions.
Although the Club World Cup final is being played in the US, PSG fans are expected to gather in large numbers on the streets of Paris.
When the club won the Champions League final on May 31, several violent incidents across France led to around 200 arrests and 20 police officers injured.
On the Champs-Élysées that night, shop windows were smashed and stores looted.
"For now we are not aware of any risks, but we nevertheless always prepare for public disturbances," Paris police chief Laurent Nuñez told the BFMTV broadcaster on Saturday.
The police deployment in Paris and the suburbs would be "very dense," he said.
"We will act with great firmness," Nuñez warned, adding that he had given orders for any gathering on the Champs-Élysées on Sunday evening to be dispersed.
No fan zones or pavement television screens will be allowed between Sunday evening and the early hours of Monday.
The avenue will, on Monday, be the scene of the traditional July 14 military parade, for which police will establish security checkpoints for body and bag inspections for invited guests.
The event will be followed on Monday evening by a classical concert near the Eiffel Tower and traditional Bastille Day fireworks lasting 20 minutes, for which a crowd of 60,000 is expected.
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