The big tree has arrived, the lights are in full swing and the chalets should not be long any longer… In barely three weeks, on the evening of November 26, the Strasbourg Christmas market will open its doors. In a particular context: one year after the cancellation, still in the midst of the Covid-19 crisis but also three years after the terrorist attack which had left him in mourning.
Will you feel safe there? The call for contributions launched to readers of 20 minutes allows to better understand the general opinion after the announcement of the new device. With, without great surprise, two opposing camps. Including a majority where fear dominates.
“We are full of friends not to go: insecurity, pandemic, smell of food, etc. », Lists Marie, joined by Nathalie. “I do not recommend it to those around me. […] Trams and buses are not safe enough. In addition, with the virus on the rise, not everyone will wear the mask. The Christmas market is not like it used to be, there is too much aggression and disrespect. “
Checkpoints “were easy to bypass”
A rather gloomy vision and one that the new measures put in place this year have obviously not mitigated. The end of the checkpoints at the entrance to the Big Island, replaced by random checks in the city center, divides again. “They were of no use anyway because they were very easy to bypass and were very restrictive on a daily basis”, Delphine mocks, referring to their operating hours (from 11 am to 8 pm).
“I felt safer with the checkpoints,” Dorothée replies, wondering if their removal is linked to “a lack of personnel”. Not really to believe the speech of the prefect of Bas-Rhin. Josiane Chevalier said this week that “more than 700 people from all security forces will be mobilized” during this famous “Christkindelsmärik”. No, the abandonment of these fixed checkpoints is more a response to the desire to avoid long queues but also to make life easier for residents. They who were sometimes searched morning and evening and most of whom had expressed a certain fed up.
“I will walk in peace while remaining vigilant”
“This will allow us Strasbourg residents to move around at a normal pace in our city center. No more delays to our appointments, ”Catherine congratulates herself. More measured, Brice points to the “bad role” attributed to cars. That downtown residents will not be allowed to park in their usual place for a month. Without forgetting that access to the Big Island will be filtered, with four entry points and two exit points.
But they will now be able to access their homes thanks to the trams, all of which will be served, except for Place Broglie. “They are essential for attendance and access for all to the city center”, reacts Delphine, satisfied with the new device announced. Like Jacques: “I think that the maximum has been done for the safety and the smooth running of this event, the various lessons and past events have been taken very seriously. But unfortunately, as everyone knows, there is no such thing as zero risk. I will walk in peace in this market while remaining cautious and vigilant and will gladly accept the necessary controls. “
Our Christmas file
He may meet Juliette there, with infectious enthusiasm. “What a joy to find the Christmas market in the Alsatian capital! I find that these new ways of proceeding insist on the return to a normal life and go in the direction of a moment of sharing, pleasure, relaxation which accompanies the market ”, she launches. “We all want to just enjoy the stalls, lights and Christmas magic without thinking about the misfortunes of the world around us …”