France: Presence of Police Outside Every Church in View Easter in fear of a terrorist attack

In ‘red alert’ has been put in the fear of a terrorist attack, with the measures taken not only not to relax, but to be strengthened in the face of Catholics, next weekend. It is typical that the regions of France were asked to develop uniforms in front of all Catholic churches and Protestant temples for Easter celebration. The French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanen gave a relevant mandate, as is apparent from a note and an SMS, which came today Thursday 28.3.2024 in knowledge of the French Agency. The note to the regions states that the “very increased” level of terrorist threat, as well as the “continuity of (international) tensions”, mainly with the Gaza war and “require the maintenance of a very high alert” for Easter holidays. “In particular it is necessary to insist” on the “visual control of the crowd that will flow in order to identify suspected individuals” or to display a “special attention” to “vehicles stationed near points of concentration or worship”, writes the French Interior Minister. Gerald Darmanen adds, in a handwritten report, the instruction to organize a “natural presence” of law enforcement forces, “systemically”, in front of “all” churches and temples, particularly during the operations of Good Friday, Great Saturday and Easter Sunday. The ministry sent this directive back with a sms in the regions. Two plans of attacks failed in France after the beginning of the year. One involved a plan for “a violent action against a Catholic religious building” by a man “who had apparently embraced the jihadist ideology,” the counter-terror prosecutor (Pnat). Age 62, this man was temporarily detained on 8 March for a “criminal organisation aimed at preparing crimes against people”, according to Pnat.