France on alert as 70,000 police mobilised for Halloween protests
France’s interior minister has warned of a “very high risk of public disorder” and announced the deployment of around 70,000 police officers for a new wave of protests this weekend. France has been rocked by widespread anger over the rising cost of living and inequality, with nationwide demonstrations on October 17 degenerating into some of the country’s worst rioting in years. The Yellow Vest…
The National Police Agency (NPA) plans to deploy approximately 7,800 personnel nationwide to ensure crowd safety during Halloween celebrations over the upcoming weekend, officials announced on Friday. This is the fourth Halloween since the tragic Itaewon crowd crush in 2022, which resulted in 159 deaths when people were crushed in a narrow alleyway in a popular Seoul nightlife district.
The NPA has designated a special safety management period from Friday to Sunday, during which riot police, regional patrol teams, and detectives will be dispatched mainly to 28 key areas across the country. Of these, 14 locations are situated in Seoul, the nation's capital. The primary objective is to prevent any recurrence of the Itaewon tragedy, which claimed the lives of 159 people in 2022.
To manage crowds effectively, police will split pedestrian traffic in narrow bottleneck areas and guide individuals to walk in a single direction. If crowd density becomes dangerously high, police will restrict incoming traffic from the perimeter to create open space for people to disperse. The police will also share real-time data with relevant agencies and dispatch officers promptly to scenes in case of any crowd-related incidents.
By deploying a significant number of personnel and implementing strategic crowd management measures, the authorities aim to maintain safety and prevent similar tragedies from occurring during Halloween celebrations in 2024.
Written by urgent.news from The Korea Times's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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