Concerns high in France as weeks left for Euro 2016
Amid a wave of violent protests, concerns are mounting about the potential disruption to the Euro 2016 football tournament, which begins in two weeks.
As a result of protests and the blockage of oil refineries, some 741 of France's major oil producer Total's 2,200 filling stations were out of gasoline compared to 784 a day earlier. The transportation network has also been negatively affected by demonstrations.
Concerns were already high as a leaked report to Bild newspaper said the Euro 2016 football championship could be the target of terrorist attacks. The report cited Germany's Federal Criminal Police Office (Bundeskriminalamt, or BKA).
The opening football match between France and Romania will be held on June 10 and the UEFA championship final at the Stade de France just north of Paris could be targeted by extremists, according to the BKA report. While Belgium said early this month that they have large amounts of intelligence indicating that there are more militants who want to return to Europe from Syria to conduct further attacks, security concerns seem to have particularly risen as Euro 2016 will be held in Paris – a city that has seen a number of terrorist attacks and an extensive state of emergency still continues.
The Stade de France, the national stadium north of the capital that will host the opening match and the final, was the site of a suicide bombing on Nov. 13, 2015.
As a result of protests and the blockage of oil refineries, some 741 of France's major oil producer Total's 2,200 filling stations were out of gasoline compared to 784 a day earlier. The transportation network has also been negatively affected by demonstrations.
Concerns were already high as a leaked report to Bild newspaper said the Euro 2016 football championship could be the target of terrorist attacks. The report cited Germany's Federal Criminal Police Office (Bundeskriminalamt, or BKA).
The opening football match between France and Romania will be held on June 10 and the UEFA championship final at the Stade de France just north of Paris could be targeted by extremists, according to the BKA report. While Belgium said early this month that they have large amounts of intelligence indicating that there are more militants who want to return to Europe from Syria to conduct further attacks, security concerns seem to have particularly risen as Euro 2016 will be held in Paris – a city that has seen a number of terrorist attacks and an extensive state of emergency still continues.
The Stade de France, the national stadium north of the capital that will host the opening match and the final, was the site of a suicide bombing on Nov. 13, 2015.