In a context marked by fears of terrorist attacks, the Louvre Museum in Paris and the Palace of Versailles were evacuated and closed on Saturday October 14 following bomb threats. These evacuations come the day after the assassination of a professor in Arras, which pushed France to raise its alert level to “emergency attack”.
At the Louvre, the largest museum in the world, visitors were forced to leave the rooms after receiving a written message stating a risk for the museum and its visitors. The museum quickly decided to close its doors for the day in order to carry out the necessary checks. Although the Minister of the Interior, Gérald Darmanin, assured that there was no real threat, it was decided to take all necessary security measures in the current context.
For its part, the Palace of Versailles was also evacuated after a bomb threat. An anonymous message received on the site moncommissariat.fr provoked this evacuation. The authorities quickly took the decision to close the castle for the day in order to carry out checks. This intervention concerned the entire castle and estate, which affected the 15,000 visitors present that day.
These exceptional evacuations and closures are a reminder of the reality of the terrorist threats hovering over France. The country went on “emergency attack” alert following the assassination of a teacher in Arras. This act was described as “Islamist terrorism” by President Emmanuel Macron. In order to strengthen security, 7,000 soldiers have been deployed to the territory and additional measures have been taken around the Stade de France and the Rugby World Cup fan zones.
It is important to emphasize that this evacuation of the Louvre and the Palace of Versailles, although caused by bomb threats, ultimately revealed no real risk. However, they demonstrate the vigilance and security measures put in place to protect emblematic places of French culture and heritage.