USA TODAY International Edition
The latest ‘ wall’ controversy surrounds the Eiffel Tower
France’s barrier plan aims to stop terrorists
President Trump isn’t the only leader who says he wants to build a wall, and this wall is just as controversial.
The French government is constructing an 8.2- foot- high bulletproof glass enclosure around the base of the Eiffel Tower to protect the iconic structure from a terrorist attack. But many French are offended by what they describe as a tasteless design that will be an eyesore.
“It’s pure madness!” says Bernard Thiebaut, a retired electrical engineer who lives in Paris. “It’s not just a physical barrier, it’s also a philosophical and a psychological barrier.”
After a public uproar over the $ 20 million project approved last month by the Paris City Council, Deputy Mayor Jean- Francois Martins defended the plan.
“The terror threat remains high in Paris, and the most vulnerable sites, led by the Eiffel Tower, must be the object of special security measures,” Martins said. He added that the glass wall would allow full view of the tower while preventing people or vehicles from storming the attraction, which draws about 6 million visitors a year.
Critics say the wall, which is set to go up in the fall, could undermine the French capital’s tourism industry. It’s already in a slump after a series of terrorist attacks that have killed more than 200 people since 2015.
Despite enhanced security in the country, terrorism remains a threat. Last week, police arrested a 16- year- old French girl and her boyfriend on charges of preparing explosives in her apartment in Montpellier in the southern part of the country to attack tourists at the Eiffel Tower. The teen, identified only as Sarah Z., allegedly had converted to Islam and pledged loyalty to the Islamic State.
Two weeks ago, French soldiers opened fire on a man wielding machetes and shouting “Allahu akbar” as he attacked them near the Louvre Museum.
For retired engineer Thiebaut, the wall is another infringement on the French way of life.
“When the Berlin Wall fell down, we said, ‘ Never again.’ Now all the countries in the world are building walls,” Thiebaut says. “It’s changing the way we live.”