“Extremely serious alert”. This is the title of the message sent to the phones of many Parisians on Monday at 8 p.m. by the Ministry of the Interior, which claims to have wanted to “inform widely” of the opening of an online platform to access the Olympic perimeter during the Olympics. The alert, sent by the FR-Alert device which is used to warn the general public in the event of an emergency, was accompanied by a loud ringing sound.
“IMPORTANT: message from the Ministry of the Interior relating to the security perimeter of the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games from July 18 to 26 inclusive”, could we read in this message encouraging “residents, employees, traders, customers of “hotels or restaurants” to connect to the “pass-jeux” platform to obtain a QR code.
“This is not a test”
“It is an alert sent to the security perimeters and their surroundings to widely inform of the opening of the platform,” the Interior Ministry said. “It’s not a test. This is information,” continued Place Beauvau, adding: “In an exceptional event, an exceptional device.”
The alert was sent at 8 p.m. “to reach as many people as possible”, the authorities justified, in the face of astonishment on social networks at the gap between the form and substance of the message. The latter also disrupted a verbal joust in the hemicycle of the National Assembly between France Insoumise and… Gérald Darmanin.
“Mr. Minister, there is an alert! »
At exactly 8 p.m., while the Minister of the Interior was in the middle of a debate on New Caledonia, the cacophony followed the shrill ringing of the alert: “Mr. Minister, there is an alert! », Launched several voices among the Insoumis, while Gérald Darmanin tried to turn off his own phone, while continuing the thread of his speech.
The President of the National Assembly Yaël Braun-Pivet had to intervene: “Mr. Minister, you understand that there is an alert at the moment, no one can hear you! »