Paris is spending $22 million to build a protective barrier around the Eiffel Tower.
“Sadly, the risk of terrorism hasn’t gone away,” deputy mayor Jean-François Martins said at a Paris press conference. “It’s not a wall, it’s an aesthetic perimeter.”
The new perimeter will include the space under the tower, as well as two ponds on either side of it, an area roughly 200 by 300 meters. reported Bloomberg. It must be able to stop bullets and vehicles, he said. Tourists will be free to enter the area after a security check, with payment required only to go up the Tower itself, Bloomberg said.
The wall will stand at around 8 feet high, covering only the bottom portions of the tower as well as part of the surrounding gardens, according to Le Parisien. It will be both bulletproof and capable of withstanding the force of a truck trying to ram through it.
Martins said he didn’t think the sight of yet another security measure in Paris -- where fully armed soldiers on patrol has become a common sight -- will deter tourists. “What scares tourists is lack of security, not security,” he said.
https://www.yahoo.com/news/eiffel-tower-2-5-metre-glass-security-wall-134001318.html
