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Paris 2024 Olympics: Parisians Quit French Capital As Security Forces Take Over Eerily Empty City Center
More than 12 million visitors are due to touch down Paris for games, running from July 26 to August 11, but the city currently feels eerily empty
At the same time, 35,000 police officers, many drafted in from outside Paris, and 18,000 military personnel are being deployed across the city for the duration of the games in a major security operation aimed at keeping spectators and athletes safe. The audacious format, which has been three years in the planning and was nearly abandoned due to security fears, will be watched by 236,000 spectators on Friday evening, sitting in tiered seating on the banks and bridges of the Seine. In the meantime, restaurant and shop owners in the grey zone along the Seine have expressed frustration over the drop in business with the imposition of the security cordon and some are asking whether the ambitious opening ceremony will be worth the disruption to the city.
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