Paris lock down for Bastille Day and World Cup final
12,000 police on duty over weekend in capital
A total 12,000 police and gendarmes will be deployed in Paris for the Fête nationale celebrations on Saturday and World Cup final on Sunday.
They will be joined by 2,000 soldiers as part of Opération Sentinelle, which has been in force since the Charlie Hebdo attacks in January 2015. Meanwhile, some 3,000 security and emergency services personnel will also be on duty in the capital.
Paris police commissioner Michel Delpuech said the visible security presence was "an important measure to make sure the party is not spoiled by any tragic incidents".
The Bastille Day celebrations in the capital on Saturday will feature the traditional military parade along the Champs Elysées, and will end with an impressive fireworks display at the Eiffel Tower.
The following day, some 90,000 football fans are expected at the Champs de Mars fanzone under the Iron Lady - which will be closed to the public for the whole of the weekend - in order to see France play Croatia in the World Cup final in Moscow.
Visitors to the zone are advised to arrive four hours before the match kicks off at 5pm - and to expect to be searched several times as they enter the area.
And plans are in place for a France victory, with a large area around the Champs Elysées likely to be blocked off to traffic if Les Bleus are crowned World Champions.
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The commissioner said that the scenes after France's semi-final victory over Belgium had given police a foretaste of what to expect on Sunday, when thousands of people gathered in the Champs Elysées to celebrate. Towards the end of the evening, the party was marred by a few dozen people throwing projectiles at police, who reacted with tear gas to clear the area.
